GLENDALE,  CALIF. 


LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF 
CALIFORNIA 

SAN  DIEGO 


presented  to  the 
UNIVERSITY  LIBRARY 
UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
SAN  DIEGO 

by 


Dr.  Frederick  Schilling 


* 


' 


THE  BEACON  PRESS  PUBLICATIONS 
IN  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


THE  BEACON  COURSE 
OF  GRADED  LESSONS 


WILLIAM  I.  LAWBANCE 
FLORENCE  BUCK 

EDITORS 


HEROIC  LIVES 


BY 

ALBERT  R.  VAIL 

AND 

EMILY  McCLELLAN  VAIL 


THE  BEACON  PRESS 
25  BEACON  STREET 
BOSTON  :  MASS. 


COPYKIGHT,   1917,  BY 

THE  BEACON  PRESS,  INC. 
All  rights  reserved 

Sixth  Printing,  September  1938 


PRINTED  IN  U.  8.  A. 


FOREWORD 

Palaces,  temples  and  empires  crumble  and  are 
buried  in  the  dust.  Our  social  and  philosophic 
systems  "have  their  day"  and  "cease  to  be."  Lives 
which  are  resplendent  in  virtue,  heroic  hi  action, 
radiant  in  loving-kindness  are  the  enduring  glory  of 
the  world.  The  following  pages  would  present  lives 
which  portray  these  qualities  and,  if  possible,  make 
them  live  before  us.  To  do  this  we  have  often  quoted 
their  words  or  the  words  about  them  written  by  their 
near  friends.  For  these  quotations  we  are  indebted 
to  the  authors  of  the  various  volumes  used. 

Our  thanks  are  due  to  Houghton  Mifflin  Company 
for  permission  to  use  the  quotations  in  the  chapters  on 
William  Baldwin,  Jr.,  Alice  Freeman  Palmer,  and 
Theodore  Parker;  to  Macmillan  Company  and  the 
New  York  Times  for  the  quotations  used  hi  the  chap- 
ters on  "A  Saint  and  a  Poet  from  India; "  to  the  Open 
Court  Publishing  Company  for  the  selection  from  Dr. 
Cams'  Gospel  of  Buddha;  to  E.  P.  Button  and  Com- 
pany for  the  quotations  from  then'  Wisdom  of  the  East 
Series  in  the  chapters  on  Zoroaster  and  Buddha,  and 
to  Fleming  H.  Revell  Company  for  the  quotations  from 
the  Twentieth  Century  New  Testament  in  the  chapters  on 
Paul  and  Apostles.  We  are  also  indebted  to  other 
kind  publishers  and  authors  whose  works  are  men- 
tioned in  the  bibliographies  and  footnotes.  The 
editors  of  this  course  have  helped  us  greatly  by  their 
words  of  counsel  and  suggestion.  But  most  of  all  are 
we  indebted  to  the  heroes  themselves  who,  through 
the  outshining  of  the  Holy  Spirit  of  God  in  their 
words  and  deeds,  have  brought  perpetual  inspiration 

and  refreshment.  rr, 

THE  AUTHORS. 

he 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAQB 

I.  A  HERO  OP  THE  SEA 1 

II.  A  KNIGHT  OF  THE  MARKET  PLACE 12 

III.  CHINESE  GORDON 22 

IV.  A  HERO  OF  SOCIAL  SERVICE 36 

V.  HEROES  OF  SCIENCE 52 

VI.  THE  YOUNGEST  COLLEGE  PRESIDENT     ....  60 

VII.  MOSES,  THE  LAWGIVER  OF  ISRAEL 71 

VIII.  DAVID,  THE  MINSTREL  KING 91 

IX.  ELIJAH,  THE  MAN  OF  FIRE 105 

X.  ZOROASTER  AND  THE  FLAMING  TORCH    ....  119 

XI.  MOHAMMED,  PROPHET  OF  THE  DESERT  ....  132 

XII.  BUDDHA,  THE  LIGHT  OF  ASIA 153 

XIII.  SOCRATES,  THE  UNAFRAID 170 

XIV.  JESUS,  THE  HEROIC  MASTER 178 

XV.   How  JESUS'  DISCIPLES  BECAME  HEROES    .     .     .  201 

XVI.  THE  ADVENTURES  OF  PAUL 214 

XVII.  AN  HEROIC  BROTHERHOOD 234 

XVIII.  MARTIN  LUTHER,  A  BRAVE  REFORMER  OF 

CHRISTENDOM 244 

XIX.   Two  FRIENDS  OF  GOD 259 

XX.  CHAMPIONS  OF  FREEDOM  IN  AMERICA     ....  273 

XXI.  A  SHINING  LIGHT  FROM  PERSIA 289 

XXII.  A  SAINT  AND  A  POET  FROM  INDIA 311 

XXIII.  SOLDIERS  OF  THE  PRINCE  OF  PEACE       ....  328 

NOTE.  —  The  pages  in  this  book  have  been  made  to  correspond 
with  the  paging  of  the  same  stories  in  the  Teachers  Manual  which 
accompanies  it. 


A  HERO  OF  THE  SEA 


HEROIC  LIVES 

CHAPTER  I 
A  HERO  OF  THE  SEA 

(Adapted  from  Captain  Scott,  Master  Diver,  by  F.  HOPKINSON  SMITH) 

A  LIFE  SAVER  and  a  sea  captain  was  Thomas  A. 
Scott.  When  first  we  hear  of  him  he  was  a  boy  of 
fifteen,  captain  of  a  little  sloop  in  the  Chesapeake  bay, 
a  "bay  pungy"  which  carried  wood  from  port  to  port. 
In  the  bow  of  the  boat  was  "a  fo'castle  the  size  of  a 
dry  goods  box  in  which  slept  the  captain  and  crew." 
The  crew  consisted  of  a  negro  boy  of  twelve. 

When  Scott  grew  to  manhood  he  became  a  master 
diver.  He  would  put  on  a  suit  of  rubber  and  fasten 
over  his  head  a  great  helmet.  Into  this  helmet  the 
air  was  pumped  so  he  could  breathe  when  he  dropped 
into  the  depths  of  the  sea.  Heavy  plates  at  back 
and  breast  and  shoes  of  lead  made  him  sink  to  the 
bottom.  There  he  would  explore  the  wrecks  of  sunken 
steamers.  If  the  ships  could  not  be  saved  he  would 
put  dynamite  under  them  to  blow  them  up  when 
they  blocked  the  channel  of  the  harbor.  Once  he 
stayed  under  water  for  seven  hours  and  forty-eight 
minutes,  which  was  a  record  up  to  that  time. 

For  seven  years  he  worked  with  Mr.  F.  Hopkinson 
Smith,  building  the  Race  Rock  Lighthouse  off  New 
London  Harbor.  Now  this  lighthouse  was  to  be 
built  out  in  the  wild  Atlantic  ocean,  eight  miles  from 
any  shore.  The  foundation  they  had  to  work  on  was 
a  shoal  of  rocks.  Part  of  this  shoal  was  above  the 


4  Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

surface  of  the  water.  The  other  part  was  deep  under 
the  waves.  They  decided  to  fill  this  submerged  part 
with  rocks  until  it  was  on  a  level  with  the  rest.  They 
could  work  at  this  only  when  the  tide  was  low.  Then 
Captain  Scott,  dressed  in  his  rubber  suit  and  helmet, 
would  dive  down  into  the  sea  and  place  the  foundation 
stones  on  the  slippery  rocks.  Sometimes  he  would 
have  to  dive  again  and  again  to  place  one  stone,  be- 
cause unless  it  was  fastened  with  the  greatest  security, 
when  the  tide  came  in  the  waves  would  wash  away 
the  stone  and  the  work  would  be  undone. 

He  feared  nothing  save  danger  for  the  men  who 
worked  with  him.  All  his  life  he  was  "one  who  was 
not  afraid  and  who  spoke  the  truth."  He  would  run 
great  risks  himself,  but  never  out  of  mere  bravado. 
Some  sailors,  some  courageous  boys  are  reckless.  They 
take  risks  just  "on  a  dare."  Captain  Scott  never 
took  a  risk  unless  some  good  was  to  come  of  it.  His 
most  courageous  deeds  were  always  for  the  sake  of  his 
friends,  to  help  them  out  of  trouble.  He  would  say 
that  only  a  fool  would  risk  his  life  just  on  a  dare.  Life 
is  too  precious  to  throw  it  away  for  nothing. 

The  difference  between  real  heroism  and  mere 
bravado  he  showed  clearly  one  day  while  he  was 
working  on  the  foundation  for  the  Race  Rock  Light- 
house. The  mighty  Atlantic  was  rising  for  a  storm. 
It  was  no  time  to  be  in  the  water;  so  Scott  was  standing 
on  the  dry  rocks  taking  off  the  heavy  plates  of  his 
diving  suit.  Suddenly  a  sloop  loaded  with  stone 
for  the  new  lighthouse  veered  toward  the  half-sub- 
merged rocks  near  which  he  was  standing.  By  this 
time  the  new  foundation  was  nearly  built  up.  There 
was  hardly  enough  water  covering  it  to  carry  a  boat 
over  the  jagged  rocks  even  in  fair  weather. 

"Turn  back  home,"  shouted  Captain  Scott.  But 
the  foolish  captain  of  the  sloop,  willing  to  defy  the 


A  Hero  of  the  Sea  5 

storm  hurling  in  from  the  East,  kept  right  on.  In 
a  few  minutes  he  would  be  driven  on  the  crags  and 
his  boat  ripped  open  and  sunk. 

Now  Scott  knew  that  the  craft  belonged  to  an  old 
man  and  his  wife  and  that  if  she  were  destroyed  it 
would  probably  mean  poverty  and  desolation  for 
the  dear  old  people,  for  the  money  received  from  the 
renting  of  the  sloop  was  their  chief  income.  The 
thought  of  their  possible  suffering  he  could  not  endure. 

In  a  second  he  was  down  on  the  half-submerged 
rocks,  diving  suit  and  all,  and  out  into  the  midst  of 
the  foaming  waves.  His  mind  always  worked  like 
flashes  of  lightning  hi  moments  of  danger,  and  he 
knew  just  what  to  do.  From  rock  to  rock  he  clambered, 
slipping  and  falling  into  the  water  and  climbing  up 
again,  until  he  got  hi  front  of  the  sloop  as  she  came 
driving  on  to  the  threatening  crags.  There  he  stood 
braced  to  catch  her  bow  on  his  shoulders.  He  was 
very  strong,  with  chest  and  back  like  steel.  Over 
and  over  he  caught  the  bow  as  the  sloop  was  about 
to  be  dashed  on  the  rocks,  and  shoved  her  out  again. 
Each  time  he  ran  the  risk  of  slipping  and  being  ground 
to  death  between  the  oncoming  sloop  and  the  rocks. 
But  he  must  at  any  hazard  protect  his  old  friends  from 
a  loss  which  would  mean  poverty. 

All  the  time  he  was  shouting  orders,  when  he  could, 
to  the  captain  and  to  his  own  men.  After  a  terrible 
struggle  the  sloop  was  saved  and  he  climbed  back  to 
safety.  It  never  occured  to  him  that  he  had  done 
anything  worthy  of  mention. 

Perhaps  Scott's  most  heroic  deed  was  the  saving  of 
the  Hoboken  ferry  boat  one  wintry  morning  in  the 
Hudson  River.  The  ferry  boat  carried  teams  and 
horses,  and  hundreds  of  men  and  women  from  Hoboken 
to  New  York. 

This  morning  the  river  was  full  of  blocks  of  ice, 


6  Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

and  the  huge  boat  was  struggling  to  make  her  way 
through  them.  In  the  midst  of  her  trouble  a  river 
tug  lunged  into  her  and  cut  a  deep  V-shaped  gash  in 
her  side.  "The  next  instant  a  shriek  went  up  from 
hundreds  of  throats.  Women,  with  blanched  faces, 
caught  terror-stricken  children  in  their  arms,  while 
men,  crazed  with  fear,  scaled  the  rails  and  upper  decks 
to  escape  the  plunging  of  the  overthrown  horses.  A 
moment  more,  and  the  disabled  boat  careened  from 
the  shock  and  fell  over  on  her  beam  helpless.  Into 
the  V-shaped  gash  the  water  poured  a  torrent.  It 
seemed  but  a  question  of  minutes  before  she  would 
lunge  headlong  below  the  ice." 

At  that  instant  Captain  Scott  happened  to  be 
passing  in  a  tug  which  he  was  running  for  the  Off- 
Shore  Wrecking  Company.  Quickly  he  pulled  along- 
side the  sinking  ferry  boat  and  jumped  on  her  deck. 
"If  he  had  fallen  from  a  passing  cloud  the  effect  could 
not  have  been  more  startling.  Men  crowded  about 
him  and  caught  his  hands.  Women  sank  on  their 
knees  and  hugged  their  children,  and  a  sudden  peace 
and  stillness  possessed  every  soul  on  board."  People 
trust  strong  men  like  Captain  Scott. 

He  looked  about  a  moment  to  see  what  could  be 
done,  then  he  ordered  the  mass  of  people  to  the  other 
side  of  the  boat,  away  from  the  side  that  was  sinking. 
This  change  of  weight  gradually  righted  the  stricken 
boat  until  she  regained  a  nearly  even  keel.  Then  he 
rushed  down  to  the  engine  room.  There  the  water 
was  pouring  through  the  great  gash  in  torrents.  He 
pulled  mattresses  from  the  bunks,  life-preservers 
from  the  racks  and  tried  to  stuff  them  into  the  breach. 
They  would  not  stay  in  place,  and  the  icy  water  still 
poured  into  the  boat. 

He  stopped  for  an  instant  in  doubt  what  to  do  next. 
Then,  to  the  amazement  of  the  sailors  who  were  watch- 


A  Hero  of  the  Sea  7 

ing,  he  forced  his  own  body  into  the  hole  and  thus 
held  back  the  water.  His  arm  and  shoulder  he  pushed 
outside  in  order  to  hold  himself  steady,  and  as  the 
ferry  boat  slowly  pulled  into  the  New  York  dock  the 
ice  blocks  in  the  river  scraped  against  him  and  tore 
away  the  flesh  from  his  wrist  to  his  shoulder. 

After  an  hour's  effort  the  landing  was  accomplished, 
and  then  they  went  to  look  for  Captain  Scott.  They 
found  him  still  in  the  hole,  quite  unconscious,  almost 
frozen  by  the  icy  water.  A  doctor  was  called  and 
every  effort  made  to  revive  him.  When  the  color 
began  to  creep  back  to  his  cheeks  he  opened  his  eyes 
and  said  to  the  doctor  who  was  winding  the  bandages, 
"Wuz  any  of  them  babies  hurt?"  That  was  his  only 
concern.  If  he  had  saved  the  lives  on  board,  his  own 
suffering  did  not  matter. 

It  was  a  month  before  he  recovered  and  then  came 
an  astounding  event.  Captain  Scott  was  in  the 
employ  of  a  wrecking  company  which  made  a  business 
of  sending  boats  up  and  down  the  river  to  help  any 
other  boat  in  trouble.  They  would  charge  money 
for  the  services  they  rendered.  The  manager  of  this 
company  now  wanted  to  collect  money  for  saving 
the  disabled  ferry  boat,  and  asked  Scott  to  sign  a 
paper  telling  what  he  had  done.  Our  brave,  generous 
captain  could  scarcely  believe  his  ears. 

"Look  at  this  arm,"  he  cried.  "Do  you  think  I'd 
got  into  that  hole  if  it  hadn't  been  for  them  women 
cryin'  and  the  babies  a-hollerin'?  And  you  want  'em 
to  pay  for  it!"  The  next  day  he  was  seeking  employ- 
ment with  another  company.  A  hero  will  suffer  and 
die  to  save  the  women  and  the  babies,  but  not  for 
money. 

In  all  Captain  Scott's  life  there  is  nothing  more 
splendid  than  his  refusal  to  accept  pay  for  saving 
the  women  and  children  on  the  sinking  ferry  boat. 


8  Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

And  because  he  refused  to  ask  for  money  for  saving 
human  life  he  lost  his  position  with  the  wrecking  com- 
pany. It  is  hard  to  face  a  raging  sea.  It  is  harder 
sometimes  for  a  man  to  face  poverty  for  himself  and 
his  wife  and  children.  The  true  hero  can,  like  Captain 
Scott,  face  both  and  not  be  afraid. 

When  he  was  too  old  to  sail  or  dive  or  save  sinking 
ships  he  spent  his  time  aiding  the  poor  in  New  London, 
the  town  where  he  lived.  Because  he  was  so  fearless 
and  self-sacrificing  his  comrades  were  devoted  to  his 
slightest  wish.  He  sent  children  to  school,  he  helped 
old  sailors,  and  just  before  his  death  he  telephoned 
to  a  coal  company  to  send  a  ton  of  coal  to  a  poor 
woman.  Six  hundred  people  whom  he  had  helped 
came  to  his  funeral.  His  friend  Mr.  Smith  says: 
"'You  admire  some  men,  you  respect  and  fear  others, 
Scott  you  loved."  The  men  that  people  love  are  not 
those  who  are  merely  rich  or  finely  dressed.  A  rough 
sea-dog  like  Captain  Scott  can  win  affection  and 
admiration  which  a  hundred  million  dollars  cannot 
buy. 


CHAPTER  II 
A  KNIGHT  OF  THE  MARKET  PLACE 

WILLIAM  H.  BALDWIN,  JR.  was  a  knight  of  big 
business.  He  sat  in  his  office  and  managed  railroads 
and  great  crowds  of  brakemen  and  engineers.  He  was 
a  hero  because  he  conducted  his  business  not  to  pile 
up  money  for  himself  but  to  serve  the  people  of  the 
country. 

His  love  for  others  began  to  appear  when  he  was  a 
boy.  He  always  used  his  spending  money  to  buy 
something,  not  for  himself,  but  for  his  family.  His 
father  was  a  man  whom  poets  like  Whittier  and  Oliver 
Wendell  Holmes  love  to  celebrate,  for  he  gave  all 
his  life  to  helping  the  young  men  of  Boston.  William, 
seeing  that  his  noble  father  was  having  difficulty 
supporting  his  family  of  nine  children  in  the  big  city 
of  Boston,  decided  to  help  him.  So  every  morning 
he  arose  at  half  past  four  o'clock  and  started  on  a 
route  selling  newspapers.  In  this  way  he  earned  a 
few  dollars  every  week  for  the  family. 

In  school  and  college  he  was  immensely  popular. 
His  days  were  full  of  play  and  laughter.  His  cheeks 
were  ruddy,  his  health  superb.  He  was  a  leader 
among  the  boys  and  college  students,  and  stood  at 
the  front  in  all  sorts  of  clubs  and  organizations.  His 
joyous  spirits,  combined  with  what  his  sister  calls 
"the  rare  tenderness  of  his  nature,"  made  everybody 
like  him.  He  was  so  sympathetic  and  full  of  kindness 
even  for  animals  that  "the  lump  is  in  his  throat  if 
word  comes  (from  home)  that  the  dog  Roger  is  ill." 
All  through  his  college  days  he  was  beloved  for  his 


A  Knight  of  the  Market  Place  13 

manliness  and  for  the  mingled  strength  and  sweetness 
of  his  character. 

When  he  graduated  from  Harvard  College  there 
came  the  problem  of  choosing  his  profession.  At 
first  he  wanted  to  be  a  minister  so  that  he  might  spend 
all  his  time  doing  good.  Then  he  decided  he  was  better 
fitted  for  business.  President  Eliot  helped  him  to 
secure  work  with  a  railroad  company,  and  in  a  few 
weeks  he  found  himself  at  Omaha,  Nebraska,  launched 
upon  his  career  in  the  rather  humble  role  of  clerk 
in  a  railroad  office. 

He  carried  to  his  work  in  the  office  the  same  energy 
which  he  gave  to  a  club  in  college.  Employees  in 
stores  and  offices  are  required  to  work  through  the 
day  until  a  certain  time,  five  or  six  o'clock  perhaps, 
in  the  afternoon.  Many  watch  the  clock  as  they 
work  and  stop  at  the  first  stroke  of  the  hour  appointed. 
Baldwin  never  thought  of  the  clock.  He  labored  on, 
often  three  hours  past  the  closing  time,  till  his  work 
was  done.  He  got  the  reputation  of  being  a  "  terrible 
overtimer."  But  his  earnestness  and  concentration 
made  him  do  his  work  especially  well.  He  was  quickly 
promoted,  and  in  a  few  years  was  himself  managing 
a  railroad  in  the  rough,  wild  mountains  of  Montana. 
When  he  was  only  twenty-seven  years  old  he  was 
made  General  Manager  of  the  Pere  Marquette  Rail- 
road in  Michigan.  And  at  the  age  of  thirty-three  he 
was  a  railroad  president,  head  of  the  Long  Island 
Railroad  running  out  of  New  York. 

"Big  business"  is  a  game.  Thousands  of  men  are 
playing  it  in  offices  all  over  the  world.  The  men  who 
win  get  great  rewards.  As  they  come  out  victor 
they  can  take  either  one  of  two  prizes,  a  great  fortune 
or  the  power  to  do  great  service  to  the  people  around 
them.  Baldwin  won  in  the  game  called  the  railroad 
business.  He  could  have  made  a  fortune.  But  he 


14         Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

said  that  was  not  worth  while.  What  was  the  use 
of  a  lot  of  money?  He  lived  simply;  he  had  what  he 
needed.  So  he  turned  down  chance  after  chance  to 
get  rich.  We  may  well  believe  that,  had  there  been 
a  mountain  of  gold  on  either  side  of  him  and  down 
the  valley  beyond  a  workman  to  be  helped,  Baldwin 
would  have  looked  neither  to  the  right  nor  to  the  left 
but  would  have  run  to  the  aid  of  the  man  in  trouble. 
Or,  if  the  ground  had  been  paved  with  diamonds,  he 
would  have  pressed  right  on  and  never  have  stopped 
to  pick  up  a  single  precious  stone. 

No,  he  wanted  the  real  prize,  the  power  to  help 
his  workmen  and  the  people  of  his  country.  In  the 
railroad  office  as  hi  the  college  classroom  he  longed 
to  help  someone.  Now  when  he  became  manager 
and  then  president  of  a  railroad  he  had  the  opportunity 
to  achieve  his  wish. 

Out  in  Montana  he  found  that  his  workmen  ruined 
themselves  by  drink.  But  why,  he  asked,  do  they 
crowd  to  the  saloon?  He  saw  that  it  was  because 
they  had  nowhere  else  to  go  to  meet  their  friends. 
He  resolved  to  save  his  workmen  from  destroying 
themselves  through  drink  by  building  them  attractive 
library  clubs.  So  he  established  a  whole  line  of  such 
libraries  and  stocked  them  with  the  best  books.  Here 
the  men  met  their  fellow  workmen  in  the  evening 
and  at  noontime.  And  here  in  reading  great  books 
and  hi  wholesome  good  fellowship  many  of  them  forgot 
all  about  the  saloon. 

Strikes  were  threatened.  He  saw  with  his  sym- 
pathetic heart  that  workingmen  need  wages  just  as 
much  as  railroad  presidents  need  their  salaries.  He 
therefore  tried  to  raise  wages  just  as  fast  as  he  could. 
Sometimes  he  cut  down  the  big  salaries  of  the  managers 
to  do  so.  But  when  there  was  no  more  money  with 
which  to  raise  the  wages  he  would  talk  it  all  over 


A  Knight  of  the  Market  Place  15 

with  the  leaders  of  the  labor  unions  in  the  kindest 
way.  And  soon  all  would  be  settled,  leaving  employers 
and  laborers  the  best  of  friends. 

The  railroads  have  sometimes  been  called  the 
arteries  of  a  nation.  As  the  big  arteries  in  our  bodies 
carry  the  pure  blood,  giving  every  portion  of  the  body 
its  needed  supply,  so  do  railroads  distribute  all  over 
the  country  the  necessary  supplies  of  food,  coal, 
clothes,  and  other  materials.  Hence  the  life  of  the 
nation  depends  upon  the  railroads.  If  the  trains 
should  stop  running  and  bringing  wheat  and  flour 
from  the  Dakotas  or  Minnesota  to  Chicago  and  New 
York  the  people  in  those  great  cities  would  starve,  for 
they  cannot  grow  wheat  or  make  flour  there.  When 
Baldwin  ran  the  railroads  he  was  helping  feed  the 
people  of  the  cities.  The  better  he  ran  them  the  better 
would  the  people  be  fed. 

But  William  Baldwin's  hours  of  service  were  not 
confined  to  his  office  alone.  He  was  a  member  of 
many  societies  which  try  to  make  the  world  into  a 
great  brotherhood  and  he  was  always  a  leader.  He 
helped  Booker  T.  Washington  educate  the  colored 
boys  and  girls  at  Tuskegee.  President  Roosevelt 
in  his  many  plans  for  the  benefit  of  the  nation  counted 
him  one  of  his  most  trusted  advisers.  Every  spare 
minute  when  his  office  work  was  over,  every  free 
moment  as  he  travelled  through  the  country,  he  de- 
voted to  helping  someone.  One  day,  as  he  was 
walking  on  a  street  in  Omaha  he  saw  a  man  beating 
his  horse.  Quickly  he  ran  out  into  the  middle  of 
the  street  and  stopped  the  cruel  deed.  This  experi- 
ence led  him  to  found  a  society  in  Omaha  for  the 
protection  of  dumb  animals. 

At  another  time  he  was  riding  on  an  elevated  train 
in  New  York.  As  the  train  passed  by  one  of  the 
stations  he  saw  from  his  window  a  woman  holding 


16         Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

in  her  arms  a  little  child  who  looked  pale  and  ill.  He 
left  the  train  at  the  next  station,  went  back  until  he 
found  the  woman,  and  inquired  of  her  the  cause  of 
her  child's  illness.  He  learned  that  with  proper  care 
the  child  could  be  cured.  But  the  mother  had  no 
money  to  pay  for  such  care.  Mr.  Baldwin  himself 
took  the  little  patient  to  a  hospital  and  made  all 
arrangements  for  him  to  stay  there  until  he  was  well 
and  strong. 

Again,  he  was  sailing  over  the  Atlantic  ocean. 
He  found  out  about  a  woman  on  board  who  was  ill, 
and  had  a  child  to  care  for.  She  was  exceedingly 
poor  and  could  only  afford  a  miserable  room.  Mr. 
Baldwin  could  not  be  comfortable  in  his  spacious 
stateroom  any  longer.  He  kept  thinking  of  the  poor 
suffering  mother.  And  so  he  gave  her  his  stateroom 
for  the  rest  of  the  voyage. 

During  the  last  days  of  the  Spanish-American  war 
he  was  notified  that  his  railroad  must  be  ready  in 
six  days  time  to  receive  and  transport  the  thousands 
of  soldiers  who  were  returning  home  to  America. 
This  was  a  colossal  task  on  such  short  notice.  Great 
numbers  of  extra  trains  must  be  rushed  to  the  eastern 
terminus  of  his  road  and  tracks  and  sheds  must 
be  built  to  receive  the  extra  traffic.  Mr.  Baldwin 
left  his  offices  in  New  York  and  went  to  take  per- 
sonal supervision  of  the  work.  For  two  weeks  he 
labored  day  and  night.  But  in  the  midst  of  it  all 
he  found  the  time  when  the  soldiers  arrived  to  care 
for  those  who  were  sick  and  to  give  his  personal  at- 
tention to  their  needs.  In  the  midst  of  bewildering 
turmoil,  with  many  calls  upon  his  attention,  he  took 
the  time  to  write  six  letters  about  a  sick  soldier  boy. 
He  arranged  for  him  to  get  to  his  home  in  Ohio,  and 
sent  him  there  at  his  own  expense. 

We  have  all  read  of  King  Arthur's  knights  of  the 


A  Knight  of  the  Market  Place  17 

round  table.  We  know  Lowell's  poem  which  tells  of 
Sir  Launfal  who  went  forth  "in  his  gilded  mail  to 
seek  in  all  climes  for  the  Holy  Grail." 

William  Baldwin  was  such  a  knight  in  quest  of  the 
Holy  Grail.  Wherever  he  went  on  his  business  he 
was  "a  Knight  Errant  of  the  Market  Place."  And 
he  found  the  marvelous  cup.  He  found  it  in  the 
offices  of  New  York,  on  board  the  beautiful  ship 
crossing  the  Atlantic  ocean,  among  the  sick  soldiers 
returning  home  from  war.  When,  on  leaving  college, 
he  gave  his  brilliant  life  in  pure  and  unselfish  service 
he  found  the  Holy  Grail.  When,  like  Sir  Launfal  in 
Lowell's  beautiful  poem,  we  share  our  food,  our  money, 
our  strength,  our  time  in  "helping  another's  need," 
then  we  meet  the  Christ,  we  drink  with  him  from  the 
priceless  cup,  the  Holy  Grail.  All  the  riches  and  the 
praise  of  the  world  are  as  nothing  beside  a  draught 
from  that  celestial  cup.  He  who  wins  that  cup  puts 
over  his  shoulders  the  mantle  of  "eternal  cheerful- 
ness" and  the  shining  garment  of  joy. 


CHINESE  GORDON 


CHAPTER  III 
CHINESE  GORDON 

CHARLES  A.  GORDON  played  at  soldier  when  he 
was  a  little  lad.  He  made  caves  in  the  garden,  carrying 
on  make-believe  campaigns  against  savages  in  far- 
away countries.  As  a  youth  he  went  to  a  military 
school. 

Then  came  the  great  Crimean  War  and  we  find  him 
in  the  trenches  before  Sebastopol,  in  the  midst  of  the 
most  terrible  firing.  His  comrades  in  the  trenches  tell 
us  that  wherever  "  dangerous  or  difficult  work  was 
going  on  there  was  Gordon."  He  always  knew  more 
about  the  enemy's  movements  than  any  of  his  com- 
rades. In  twelve  months  in  the  trenches  he  learned 
more  of  war  tactics  and  the  conquest  of  cities  than 
most  soldiers  learn  in  twelve  years.  His  superiors 
soon  recognized  his  skill  and  he  was  promoted  to  the 
rank  of  major  and  put  in  various  positions  of  respon- 
sibility and  danger. 

His  first  great  campaign  was  in  China,  the  oldest  em- 
pire of  the  earth.  Its  four  hundred  million  people  as  a 
rule  live  peacefully.  But  between  the  years  1848  and 
1865  there  occurred  a  great  rebellion.  A  man,  a  reli- 
gious fanatic,  had  raised  an  army  of  500,000  men  and 
with  this  army  was  marching  through  the  country,  rob- 
bing and  killing  the  people.  He  is  a  good  example  of 
what  is  known  as  the  "false  prophet."  He  pretended 
that  God  had  spoken  to  him  and  told  him  to  rule 
China.  He  called  himself  the  "Heavenly  King,"  and 
appointed  subordinate  generals  whom  he  called  the 
"Eastern  King,"  the  "Southern  King,"  the  "West- 


Chinese  Gordon  23 

ern  King."  He  traveled  in  splendor,  and  made  the 
people  bow  down  before  him  with  faces  to  the  very 
ground. 

On  went  the  mad  fanatic  with  his  soldiers,  month 
after  month,  plundering  and  killing  the  helpless  people. 
He  conquered  over  fifty  towns  and  at  last  drew  near 
to  the  great  cities  of  Shanghai  and  Pekin.  It  looked 
as  though,  with  his  fierce,  wild  hordes  he  would  soon 
enter  the  imperial  city  of  Pekin  where  the  Chinese 
emperors  had  ruled  for  ages.  The  men  and  women 
of  Shanghai  and  Pekin,  the  merchants,  the  mandarins, 
and  the  government  were  filled  with  terror.  This  was 
one  of  the  most  dangerous  moments  in  all  the  ages  of 
Chinese  history.  What  should  be  done? 

Now  the  merchants  of  Shanghai  had  tried  to  raise 
an  army  of  their  own  with  which  to  stop  the  march 
of  the  "Heavenly  King."  They  offered  high  wages 
to  anybody  who  would  fight  for  them.  This  offer 
attracted  a  crowd  of  men  which  soon  swelled  to  the 
number  of  three  thousand.  And  who  were  they? 
They  were  "  sailors  without  a  ship  and  deserters  from 
the  enemy,  gaol-birds,  pirates,  roughs,  and  tramps  of 
all  nations,  degrees,  colors,  and  characters."  Not  a 
very  good  company,  was  it?  And  they  called  them- 
selves the  "Ever  Victorious  Army."  The  merchants 
asked  the  English  government  to  send  them  someone 
to  command  this  Ever  Victorious  Army.  In  that 
band  of  outlaws  lay  the  only  hope  of  the  Chinese 
Empire.  The  English  government  answered  that 
Major  Gordon,  who  was  then  in  China,  would  come  to 
their  aid. 

When  Major  Gordon  arrived  at  Shanghai  the  mer- 
chants and  the  government  turned  over  these  men  to 
him.  "Take  this  army,"  they  said,  "and  save  us  from 
the  hundreds  of  thousands  of  the  rebels." 

What  a  task  confronted  him!    In  the  first  place  the 


24          Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

men  were  quite  unmanageable.  They  had  joined 
the  Ever  Victorious  Army  for  plunder,  for  what  they 
could  steal.  They  were  really  three  thousand  robbers. 
Gordon's  first  order  to  them  was  that  plunder  and  steal- 
ing should  cease.  "  There  shall  be  no  more  of  this," 
he  said.  "The  men  shall  be  regularly  and  well  paid 
and  well  cared  for.  But  there  shall  be  no  more  sacking 
and  burning  of  towns.  I  command  soldiers,  not 
robbers." 

The  bandits  rebelled  at  first.  But  Gordon  by  quick 
and  firm  measures  of  discipline  brought  them  to  obedi- 
ence. His  splendid  courage,  the  strength  of  his  right- 
eous will  gave  him  power  to  control  these  rough,  unruly 
soldiers. 

''Having  conquered  his  own  army  he  went  forth  to 
vanquish  the  rebel  hosts  —  Major  Gordon's  three 
thousand  against  the  "Heavenly  King's"  five  hundred 
thousand.  Battle  after  battle  he  fought  and  won. 
He  never  carried  any  arms  himself.  ,-  Yet  he  was  always 
to  be  found  at  the  front,  where  the  firing  was  heaviest. 
Once,  in  the  midst  of  a  veritable  tempest  of  shot  and 
shell,  he  climbed  down  into  a  deep  ditch  to  rescue  a 
Chinese  baby  from  drowning.  In  his  hand  he  used  to 
carry  a  little  bamboo  cane  which  he  waved  to  encourage 
his  soldiers.  The  Chinese  said  it  was  a  magic  wand 
by  waving  which  he  defeated  the  thousands  of  the 
enemy.^ 

But  the  secret  lay  deeper.  It  was  the  magic  of  his 
fearless  heart,  his  unconquerable  will,  his  keen  mind, 
his  trust  hi  God,  and  his  unconcern  as  to  what  happened 
to  himself.  All  he  thought  of  was  the  deliverance 
of  the  people  of  China  from  the  rebel  hordes.  His 
strength  was  as  the  strength  of  ten,  as  Tennyson  says 
of  Sir  Galahad,  because  his  heart  was  pure. 

By  day  he  was  everywhere,  directing  the  engage- 
ments, breathing  courage  into  the  hearts  of  his  soldiers. 


Chinese  Gordon  %5 

At  night,  wrapped  in  a  sleeping  bag,  fully  dressed,  he 
slept  with  one  eye  open,  as  it  were,  to  all  that  was  going 
on.  If  the  firing  grew  heavier  or  lighter  than  he  had 
commanded  it  should  be,  he  was  up  instantly  and  off 
to  see  what  was  the  matter.  Sleep  was  not  to  be 
thought  of  when  there  was  work  to  be  done. 

One  night  at  three  A.  M.  he  sent  word  to  one  of  his 
assistants  to  come  to  his  tent  immediately  for  important 
business.  The  assistant  was  very  drowsy.  He  had 
slept  only  five  hours  that  night.  So  he  told  himself 
it  could  not  be  anything  important  that  Major  Gordon 
wanted  at  such  a  time,  and  he  slept  on.  After  waiting 
for  an  hour  Gordon  appeared  at  his  bedside,  amazed  that 
a  soldier  could  sleep  when  there  was  a  call  to  action. 

Gordon  dressed  carefully.  Although  he  slept  in  his 
clothes  most  of  the  time,  he  always  looked  trim  and 
neat.  Yet  he  never  spared  his  clothes  when  work  was 
pressing,  as  one  of  his  aids  learned  to  his  shame.  Gor- 
don had  given  him  a  message  to  take  to  a  certain  officer. 
The  officer  was  on  the  far  side  of  a  moat  in  which  there 
was  muddy,  dirty  water.  Now  the  aide-de-camp  was 
a  sort  of  " dandy"  and  at  the  time  was  dressed  in  a 
new  suit.  Up  and  down,  up  and  down  the  bank  he 
went  looking  for  a  bridge  so  he  might  cross  the  dirty 
water  without  soiling  his  clothes.  When  at  last  he 
found  a  dry  place  and  crossed  over  he  learned  that 
Major  Gordon  had  waded  across  long  before  and  had 
delivered  the  message  himself. 

With  this  tireless  soldier,  this  swordless  conqueror 
for  their  leader,  the  three  thousand  desperadoes  became 
in  truth  the  Ever  Victorious  Army.  The  rebel  hosts 
broke  and  fled.  The  cities  they  had  conquered  were 
taken  back  again.  The  empire  which  had  been  tot- 
tering toward  destruction  was  placed  upon  a  solid 
foundation.  Shanghai  and  Pekin  were  saved  from 
pillage  and  ruin,  and  peace  restored  in  the  midst  of 


26          Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

anarchy.  Major  Gordon  had  quelled  one  of  the  greatest 
rebellions  in  the  world's  history.  Since  that  time  he 
has  been  called  Chinese  Gordon. 

The  gratitude  of  the  Chinese  officials  knew  no  limits. 
They  gave  him  the  highest  honor  hi  the  kingdom. 
They  made  him  a  mandarin.  They  gave  him  the 
Peacock  Feather  and  the  Yellow  Jacket.  These  were 
great  honors  in  China,  the  Yellow  Jacket  being  the 
highest  of  all.  It  was  given  to  twelve  men  only  in  an 
empire  of  four  hundred  million  people.  These  twelve 
were  supposed  to  form  an  especial  guard  for  the  emperor. 
The  receiving  of  the  Yellow  Jacket  was  a  long  and  im- 
portant ceremony.  Major  Gordon  cared  nothing  for 
these  honors  but  he  accepted  them  to  please  the  people. 

Then  the  government,  as  another  token  of  appre- 
ciation, sent  him  ten  thousand  dollars  in  a  great  chest. 
With  it  came  a  long  procession  of  men  marching  into 
the  town  where  he  was,  each  holding  above  his  head 
a  bowl  filled  with  gold  and  silver.  Gordon  met 
them,  learned  their  errand,  stopped  them,  and  sent 
them  and  the  money  back  to  Pekin.  The  Chinese 
might  give  him  all  the  love  they  wished  for  his 
saving  of  their  nation.  But  he  did  not  want  their 
gold.  The  hero  does  not  rescue  a  nation  for  money. 
Gordon  loved  the  Chinese  and  the  God  whose  children 
they  are.  He  would  fight  to  save  them  for  the  sake 
of  the  approval  of  his  God,  and  for  that  only. 

During  his  campaign  in  China  the  Chinese  govern- 
ment paid  him  a  salary  of  five  hundred  dollars  a  month. 
He  decided  what  was  the  least  sum  he  could  live  on, 
and  then  gave  all  the  rest  to  the  soldiers  who  were  sick 
or  wounded  or  suffering.  He  went  back  to  England 
with  just  five  dollars  in  his  pocket.  When  he  left  China 
the  people  lined  the  banks  of  the  Hwang-p'u  river  for 
a  mile  and  a  half  and  waved  their  loving  farewell  as 
he  sailed  away. 


Chinese  Gordon  27 

At  home  in  England  the  papers  were  full  of  his 
praise,  and  everyone  wished  to  do  him  honor.  But 
he  stole  away  to  the  little  town  of  Gravesend. 
There  he  spent  quiet  evenings  in  his  home  reading 
his  Bible  and  the  Imitation  of  Christ.  But  soon  his 
guests  began  to  arrive.  And  who  do  you  think  they 
were?  Children,  mostly;  little  thieves  and  tramps, 
the  poor  and  the  ragged,  the  outcasts  of  the  world, 
whom  Major  Gordon  had  helped  and  befriended. 
They  would  gather  around  him  and  he,  with  his  great 
sweetness  of  spirit,  would  tell  them  stories  about  the 
Christ  and  his  Gospel  of  Peace. 

II.  GORDON  IN  EGYPT 

He  was  not,  however,  long  permitted  to  rest  in  his 
quiet  home  in  England.  He  was  needed  in  another 
quarter  of  the  world,  this  time  in  that  part  of  darkest 
Africa  called  the  Soudan.  We  will  note  on  our  maps 
that  the  southern  part  of  Egypt,  through  which  flows 
the  river  Nile  is  called  the  Soudan.  It  stretches  far 
to  the  south  and  the  west.  Part  of  it  is  jungle,  part 
desert.  All  of  it  is  peopled  by  the  black  tribes  which 
are  native  to  Africa. 

In  the  year  1875  these  tribes  were  hi  terrible  panic 
and  anarchy,  because  through  the  length  and  breadth 
of  that  tropical  wilderness  went  slave  catchers.  Unscru- 
pulous men  they  were,  who  stole  men  and  women  and 
little  children,  drove  them  off  like  cattle  and  sold  them 
as  slaves.  The  tribes  were  in  constant  terror.  They 
were  afraid  even  to  plant  corn,  for  the  slave  dealers 
would  steal  their  crops  as  well  as  their  children.  Worse 
yet,  the  Egyptian  officials  were  scarcely  any  better. 
In  return  for  a  little  money  they  would  help  the  slave 
dealers  in  their  terrible  work. 

The  European  world  was  greatly  distressed  at  this 
state  of  affairs  and  wanted  it  stopped.  The  King,  or 


28          Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

Khedive,  as  he  is  called,  of  Egypt  also  wanted  to  put 
an  end  to  this  crime.  But  who  should  do  it?  There 
was  no  one  hi  all  Egypt  strong  enough  or  wise  enough 
for  such  a  task.  Then  the  Khedive  remembered  how 
General  Gordon  had  freed  China  from  conditions  almost 
as  bad.  Here  was  the  man,  he  decided,  to  bring  peace 
to  the  Soudan.  When  General  Gordon  consented  to 
come  the  Khedive  offered  him  a  salary  of  fifty  thousand 
dollars  a  year.  This  he  refused.  He  said  it  was  too 
much.  He  would  take  enough  to  cover  his  expenses, 
no  more. 

So  he  went  to  Egypt,  and  with  a  few  soldiers  for  his 
companions  sailed  up  the  river  Nile  and  into  the  depths 
of  the  African  jungle. 

Now  the  African  tribes  were  savage  and  warlike. 
They  thought  that  all  Egyptian  officials  were  their 
enemies  who  would  plunder  and  enslave  them.  Gor- 
don's first  task  was  to  persuade  them  that  he  came  not 
to  rob  them.  He  only  wanted  to  help  them.  He 
wanted  to  teach  them  how  to  plant  corn.  He  wished 
to  give  them  the  things  they  needed.  He  must  first, 
however,  prove  to  them  that  he  would  not  harm  them 
and  was  not  afraid  of  them. 

So  when  his  steamer  landed  along  the  banks  of  the 
Nile  he  took  his  table  and  went  out  alone  into  the 
jungle.  He  put  the  table  in  a  suitable  place,  sat  down 
and  began  to  write  his  letters.  This  he  did  at  every 
landing  place. 

The  soldiers  on  the  steamer  were  amazed.  They 
knew  the  jungle  was  filled  with  savages  ready  to  kill 
any  white  man.  A  hundred  armed  soldiers  would  not 
dare  to  go  out  there  in  then*  midst  where  Gordon  so 
quietly  sat.  And  what  happened?  The  wild  savages 
were  all  ready  to  kill  him,  but  when  they  saw  Gordon 
sitting  there  all  alone,  serene  and  unafraid,  they  were 
filled  with  awe.  A  man  so  fearless  must  be  some 


Chinese  Gordon  29 

marvelous  being,  they  thought,  a  sort  of  god.  And 
they  would  creep  stealthily  out  of  their  lairs  and 
crawling  through  the  bushes  would  come  up  close  to 
him  and  touch  his  garments  or  kiss  his  feet.  Without 
lifting  a  sword  or  firing  a  gun  he  conquered  them. 
The  savages  who  had  hated  all  white  men  now  began 
to  love  and  trust  him. 

Thus  Gordon  traveled  up  the  Nile,  through  the 
jungle,  and  into  the  depths  of  central  Africa.  He 
drove  the  slave  traders  before  him.  He  won  the 
devotion  of  the  tribesmen  wherever  he  went.  He  placed 
English  steamers  on  the  hitherto  unknown  waters  of 
lakes  Victoria  Nyanza  and  Albert  Nyanza,  and  explored 
many  new  regions.  He  also  established  a  line  of  mili- 
tary stations  and  a  military  highway  from  these  lakes 
to  Cairo. 

The  Khedive  of  Egypt  now  made  him  Governor 
General  of  the  whole  Soudan.  He  was  like  a  king,  or 
a  Sultan,  and  had  absolute  power  over  a  country  as 
large  as  all  Europe.  He  was  given  a  palace  at  Kartoum 
and  two  hundred  servants.  But  Gordon  cared  not  for 
palaces  or  servants,  grand  clothes,  and  luxurious  living. 
He  did  not  stay  at  Kartoum  but  started  off  immediately 
to  subdue  the  slave  dealers  and  the  outlaws  of  his  vast 
dominion. 

To  find  these  men  he  had  to  travel  through  the 
tropical  jungles  and  wastes,  far  to  the  south  and  the 
west.  He  rode  on  a  camel,  and  at  such  a  pace  that  he 
was  constantly  in  need  of  changing  his  mount.  The 
strongest  camel  could  not  long  stand  the  pace  he  set. 
But  there  were  thousands  of  slaves  to  be  set  free  and 
no  time  must  be  lost.  The  Arab  soldiers  who  went  with 
him  had  never  before  travelled  so  fast  and  could  hardly 
keep  up.  But  Gordon  pressed  on,  over  the  pathless 
wilderness,  through  dense  swarms  of  flies  and  mos- 
quitoes. He  slept  often  on  the  ground,  without  a 


30          Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

tent,  in  places  infested  with  scorpions.  Sometimes 
he  slept  all  night  in  a  driving  rain,  and  after  such  a  night 
he  would  be  up  at  sunrise  to  press  on  to  his  goal.  His 
energy  was  tremendous.  He  never  for  an  instant 
thought  of  letting  his  own  discomfort  keep  him  back 
from  freeing  the  caravans  of  slaves  that  were  being 
hurried  through  his  desolate  dominions. 

Here  again  he  conquered  not  so  much  by  force  of 
arms  as  by  the  power  of  his  wonderful  spirit.  How  his 
comrades  loved  to  tell  the  following  story! 

There  was  a  robber  chief  called  Soulieman  who  had 
his  den  at  Shaka,  far  hi  the  interior  of  the  Soudan. 
From  there  he  commanded  a  large  army  of  slaves  and 
robbers  with  whom  he  plundered  the  country.  Soulie- 
man was  long  of  the  slave  dealers.  His  was  a  name  to 
strike  terror  into  the  hearts  of  the  people  of  the  Soudan. 
Gordon  had  been  trying  to  meet  and  defeat  him  in 
open  battle  but  could  not  get  enough  soldiers.  In  fact 
his  army  was  quite  useless  and  he  was  waiting  for  rein- 
forcements. 

Suddenly  there  came  the  news  that  Soulieman  with 
his  bandits  was  pillaging  a  town  eighty  miles  away. 
Immediately  Gordon  mounted  his  camel  and  started 
for  that  town.  Through  swarms  of  flies  and  under  the 
blazing  sun,  at  whirlwind  pace  he  went.  So  fast  did 
he  ride  that  his  escort  was  soon  left  far  behind.  He 
stopped  for  the  night  at  the  little  town  of  Dara,  three 
miles  from  the  robbers'  camp.  The  next  morning  at 
daybreak  he  was  up  and  out  to  confer  with  his  escort 
who  had  arrived  in  the  night.  He  then  arrayed 
himself  in  a  beautiful  suit  of  golden  armor  which  the 
Khedive  had  given  him,  and  with  but  a  handful  of  men 
started  for  the  robbers'  den. 

He  knew  there  was  nothing  the  bandits  more  heartily 
desired  than  to  take  his  life.  Three  thousand  strong 
they  were,  each  man  longing  with  all  his  heart  to  kill 


Chinese  Gordon  31 

him.  Yet  straight  into  their  midst,  fearless  and 
majestic,  he  rode,  his  golden  armor  gleaming  in  the 
sunlight. 

He  looked  at  that  throng  with  his  penetrating  blue 
eyes  and  with  quiet  authority  bade  them  come  and  see 
him  the  next  day.  The  robbers  to  their  own  amazement 
bowed  their  heads  and  agreed  to  come.  Then  he 
drank  a  glass  of  water  and  rode  away.  And  no  one 
touched  him. 

Next  day  the  fierce  robbers  came  to  his  tent.  Gor- 
don told  them  of  their  crimes  and  of  the  awfulness  of 
the  slave  trade.  He  also  told  them  they  must  submit 
immediately  to  the  government.  And,  wonder  of 
wonders,  they  agreed  to  all  he  said!  For  the  moment 
the  wolves  became  as  lambs,  the  robber  chiefs  humane. 
Soulieman,  the  Sultan  of  the  bandits,  bowed  to  the 
ground  before  him  and  pledged  his  fidelity  to  Gordon's 
government.  For  the  time,  at  least,  he  was  subdued. 
And  how?  Not  by  a  sword  of  steel  but  by  the  sword 
of  the  spirit,  —  the  sword  which  only  a  righteous  and 
a  fearless  man  can  wield. 

At  the  end  of  three  years  General  Gordon  returned 
to  England.  But  he  was  soon  called  back  to  Egypt 
to  meet  another  false  prophet,  this  tune  a  man  who 
pretended  to  be  the  "Mahdi"  or  savior  of  the  Moham- 
medan world.  This  " Mahdi"  had  raised  a  great  army 
and  was  marching  through  Gordon's  old  province,  the 
Soudan.  The  people  cried  out  to  him  to  come  back 
to  them  for  there  was  no  one  else  who  could  save  them. 
So  back  he  hastened.  When  Gordon  entered  Kartoum, 
the  capital  of  the  Soudan,  he  was  greeted  with  great 
joy.  One  of  his  first  acts  was  to  open  the  prison  and 
release  the  prisoners.  Then,  to  the  delight  of  the 
people,  he  burned  the  prison  and  with  it  all  the  instru- 
ments of  torture  which  former  governors  had  used. 
This  made  a  magnificent  bonfire.  He  organized  the 


32          Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

people  into  a  little  army  and  did  what  he  could  to 
fortify  the  town. 

But  this  time  the  odds  against  him  were  too  great. 
The  army  of  the  false  prophet,  three  hundred  thousand 
strong,  drew  nearer  and  nearer.  Then  they  reached 
Kartoum  and  began  storming  at  the  gates.  Gordon 
held  out  for  eleven  months,  hoping  for  reinforcements 
from  England.  But  they  were  delayed,  and  when  at 
last  they  did  come  it  was  too  late.  The  city  had  fallen 
and  General  Gordon  had  been  killed  in  the  street. 

Thus  died  a  gentle  and  heroic  soldier.  By  his  good- 
ness, his  kindness,  his  courage,  he  had  won  the  hearts 
of  the  people  of  the  Soudan.  He  wrote  to  a  friend 
just  before  his  death:  "I  have  cut  off  the  slave  dealers 
in  their  strongholds  and  made  the  people  love  me." 
And  they  loved  him  because  he  first  loved  them. 


A  HERO  OF  SOCIAL  SERVICE 


CHAPTER  IV 
A  HERO  OF  SOCIAL  SERVICE 

/WHEN  Dorothea  Dix  was  born,  in  1802,  in  a  bleak 
and  bare  New  England  home  everything  seemed  against 
her.  But  her  parents'  poverty  was  really  a  blessing,  for 
children  who  have  to  suffer  hunger  and  wear  poor 
clothes  and  live  in  shabby  little  houses  sometimes 
become  the  world's  greatest  heroes.  Poverty  is  like 
a  school  in  which  they  learn  to  be  brave  when  cold  or 
hungry,  to  want  little  for  themselves,  to  suffer  without 
complaining.  Dorothea  learned  these  lessons  in  her 
childhood,  and  this  was  one  of  the  secrets  of  her  success. 

For  a  number  of  years  she  lived  with  her  grandmother 
in  Boston.  Her  grandmother  was  very  strict,  and 
taught  her  to  do  everything  with  the  utmost  excellence. 
Each  stitch  in  the  dress  she  was  making  must  be 
"just  so."  Careless  work  was  never  permitted.  This 
made  Dorothea  accurate  and  skillful  when  she  went 
out,  in  after  years,  an  angel  of  mercy  to  the  poor  and 
the  outcast  of  the  nation. 

Dorothea  longed  for  knowledge.  She  read  and 
studied  with  eagerness,  and  developed  a  memory  so 
fine  that  when  she  was  only  fourteen  years  old  she  was 
able  to  start  a  school  of  her  own.  They  called  her 
the  child-teacher.  She  had  to  put  on  long  skirts  and 
lengthen  the  sleeves  of  her  dress  so  as  to  look  grown-up 
and  "command  due  respect"  from  her  pupils.  But 
even  then  she  was,  we  are  told,  at  once  beautiful  and 
imposing  in  manner. 

When  she  was  older  she  opened  a  school  in  her  grand- 
mother's house  in  Boston,  hi  what  was  called  the  old 


A  Hero  of  Social  Service  37 

Dix  mansion.  This  school  soon  became  very  popular. 
It  grieved  her,  however,  that  only  the  well-to-do 
children  came  to  her.  So  she  fitted  up  her  grand- 
mother's barn  as  a  schoolroom,  and  there  she  taught 
the  very  poor  when  the  morning  school  was  over. 

This  proved  too  great  a  tax  on  her  strength,  and 
her  health  began  to  fail.  So  when  Dr.  William  Ellery 
Channing  asked  her  to  go  south  with  his  family  and 
teach  his  children  she  gladly  consented.  Weeks  and 
months  she  spent  in  the  home  of  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Chan- 
ning, observing  the  noble  life  of  this  great  preacher, 
the  leader  of  the  Unitarian  movement  in  America.  She 
found  in  him,  she  says,  a  man  so  brilliant  in  intellect 
and  saintly  in  character  that  the  more  closely  she  came 
to  know  him  the  deeper  grew  her  reverence  for  him. 

He  believed  that  a  new  and  glorious  age  would  soon 
appear  on  earth.  To  bring  it  more  quickly  to  pass, 
he  said,  we  must  teach  the  children,  and  proclaim  the 
pure  gospel  of  the  Christ.  Dorothea  Dix  resolved  to 
help  with  all  her  strength  to  bring  in  this  age. 

She  went  back  with  new  health  and  joy  to  teach  in 
her  school.  She  studied  and  she  worked  She  read 
many  books.  She  wrote  books  herself,  in  these  years 
of  her  teaching,  six  of  them,  which  were  read  by  thou- 
sands of  people.  She  arose  at  sunrise  and  worked  all 
day,  until  after  midnight. 

Such  labor  proved  too  exhausting.  Her  strength 
again  gave  out,  and  tuberculosis  developed  in  her 
lungs.  As  she  taught  she  would  hold  her  hand  pressed 
to  her  side  to  stop  the  sharp  pain.  It  was,  she  said, 
as  though  a  splintered  lance  were  there. 

At  last  she  became  so  ill  she  had  to  give  up  her 
teaching.  She  went  to  England  hoping  to  find  health 
in  that  climate.  There  she  met  some  very  kind  and 
loving  people,  friends  of  Dr.  Channing,  who  invited 
her  to  come  to  their  home.  She  stayed  with  these 


38         Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

friends  for  a  year  and  a  half.  This  was  a  wonderful 
time  of  joy  to  her,  "  the  jubilee  year  of  her  life,  the  sun- 
niest, the  most  restful,  and  the  tenderest  to  her  affec- 
tions of  all  her  earthly  experience."  She  was  very 
ill  most  of  the  time,  but,  as  she  writes,  "The  hour 
of  bodily  suffering  is  to  me  the  hour  of  spiritual  joy.  It 
is  then  that  I  rejoice  to  feel  that  though  the  earthly 
frame  decay,  the  soul  shall  never  die."  Her  body  was 
like  a  cage,  her  soul  like  an  angelic  bird  inside  the  cage. 
The  cage  might  suffer  or  be  broken,  but  the  beautiful 
bird  of  the  spirit  still  sang  its  song  of  praise.  She 
loved  the  people  around  her,  prayed  to  the  God  above 
her,  and  was  happy. 

When  she  recovered  her  health  she  came  back  to 
America.  Her  grandmother  had  died  and  left  her  some 
property.  This,  added  to  the  money  she  had  made 
teaching  school,  gave  her  an  income  sufficient  to  support 
her  for  the  rest  of  her  life. 

She  had  been  back  in  Boston  only  a  few  weeks  when 
she  was  asked  to  teach  a  Sunday-school  class  hi  an 
East  Cambridge  jail  just  across  the  Charles  river. 
She  consented,  always  eager  to  be  of  service. 

In  that  jail  she  saw  sights  which  made  plain  to  her 
what  her  work  for  the  rest  of  her  life  should  be.  In- 
sane people  were  there,  paupers  they  were,  and  in  what 
a  pitiable  condition!  They  were  chained  to  their  beds 
as  though  they  had  been  wild  beasts;  they  had  no 
heat  in  then-  rooms  even  in  the  zero  days;  there  was 
no  glass  hi  the  windows. 

Filled  with  distress  at  such  a  state  of  affairs  Miss 
Dix  decided  to  travel  from  town  to  town  throughout 
the  Commonwealth  in  order  to  study  the  condition  of 
the  insane  poor!  Could  it  be  that  they  all  had  to  live 
like  this?  She  found  that  they  did.  Wherever  she 
went  she  saw  fresh  sights  of  the  cruel  treatment  of 
these  helpless  people.  In  one  town  she  found  a  man 


A  Hero  of  Social  Service  39 

in  a  stone  cell,  without  heat  or  care,  the  frost  thick 
on  the  walls,  his  bed  clothing  frozen  with  ice.  In 
other  places,  she  says,  she  found  "  insane  people  con- 
fined hi  cages,  closets,  cellars,  pens,  chained,  naked, 
beaten  with  rods  and  lashed  into  obedience."  Those 
who  cared  for  them  thought  that  insane  people,  be- 
cause now  and  then  they  shouted  or  behaved  queerly, 
were  just  like  wild  beasts.  So  they  chained  them  and 
beat  them. 

But  Miss  Dix  knew  that  even  in  the  maniac  there  is 
hidden  a  divine  light;  even  in  the  heart  of  the  wildest 
madman  there  is  a  soul,  a  spark  from  God.  Besides, 
she  felt  that  true  nobility  of  soul  impels  one  to  be  most 
tender  to  those  who  are  most  helpless  and  in  greatest 
need. 

She  resolved  to  persuade  the  people  of  Massachusetts 
to  build  fine,  large  hospitals  and  asylums  where  the 
insane  who  were  so  poor  and  so  helpless  could  be 
tenderly  cared  for,  and  if  possible  cured.  In  the 
promptings  of  her  heart  she  heard  the  voice  of  God 
calling  to  her  to  rise  and  work  for  the  insane  poor. 
She  listened  to  that  voice,  and  obeyed. 

For  months  she  travelled  from  town  to  town  visiting 
many  prisons  and  almshouses.  Then  she  wrote  a 
stirring  report  of  what  she  had  seen.  This  she  sent 
to  the  Legislature  of  the  Commonwealth  of  Massa- 
chusetts begging  them  to  build  asylums  for  the  insane. 

For  a  long  time  the  men  of  the  legislature  refused  her 
appeal;  they  said  it  would  cost  too  much  money. 
But  at  last  they  voted  to  enlarge  the  asylum  at  Worces- 
ter so  that  it  could  accommodate  two  hundred  more 
patients. 

Overjoyed  at  this  victory,  Miss  Dix  was  stirred  to 
a  still  greater  hope.  She  now  thought,  "If  one  legis- 
lature can  be  thus  besieged  and  won,  why  not  others?" 
If  she  could  save  the  insane  of  Massachusetts  from  beat- 


40          Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

ings  and  starving  might  she  not  do  as  much  for  those  in 
other  states?  It  was  a  thought  which  appealed  to  a 
true  soldier  of  mercy,  and  she  decided  to  try  what  she 
could  do. 

First  she  went  to  Rhode  Island  and  got  the  insane 
hospital  at  Providence  enlarged  by  private  subscrip- 
tions, one  man  giving  forty  thousand  dollars  for  the 
purpose.  Then  she  went  to  New  Jersey. 

Here  she  had  a  hard  struggle.  The  politicians  in 
the  legislature  said  she  was  a  good  woman,  a  ministering 
angel  to  the  poor  and  the  suffering.  But  they  did  not 
have  the  money  to  build  a  large,  expensive  asylum. 
And  they  tried  to  excuse  themselves  by  saying  the 
people  who  paid  the  taxes  to  the  government  would  not 
permit  it.  One  politician  said  it  would  pay  them 
better  to  raise  five  hundred  or  six  hundred  or  even  a 
thousand  dollars  to  escort  her  over  the  Delaware  and 
out  of  the  state  than  to  spend  all  this  money  on  an 
asylum. 

Miss  Dix  was  not  discouraged.  She  invited  the 
members  of  the  legislature  to  come  to  her  boarding 
house  and  there  in  the  parlor,  evening  after  evening, 
she  talked  with  them.  She  pleaded  with  them  some- 
times for  three  hours  at  a  time  to  have  pity  on  the 
poor,  to  think  of  the  God  who  loved  them.  She  was 
so  earnest,  so  unselfish  in  her  request,  so  just  in  her 
demands  that  at  last  the  men  relented  and  all  voted 
to  build  the  asylum.  As  a  result  a  splendid  hospital 
was  erected  at  Trenton.  This  was  the  first  hospital 
ever  built  in  the  United  States  by  public  taxation  for 
the  care  of  the  insane. 

II 

Having  won  this  victory  in  New  Jersey  Miss  Dix 
longed  to  establish  in  other  states  buildings  where  the 
insane  could  have  warm,  comfortable  rooms,  the  service 


A  Hero  of  Social  Service  41 

of  skilled  physicians,  and  attendants  who  would  treat 
them  with  kindness  and  wisdom.  To  accomplish 
this  she  must  travel  all  over  the  country,  and  persuade 
the  legislature  of  each  state  to  appropriate  the  money 
for  such  buildings.  She  must  also  visit  all  sorts  of 
out-of-the-way  prisons  and  almshouses  so  she  could 
get  the  facts  and  tell  the  men  of  the  legislatures  just 
how  badly  the  insane  were  treated,  how  sorely  they 
were  in  need  of  the  right  care. 

Travel  in  those  days  was  difficult  and  adventurous. 
There  were  practically  no  railroads.  She  must  go  by 
stage,  or  in  a  rickety  carriage,  or  perhaps  by  water  in 
an  old-fashioned  river  boat.  And  many  trying  experi- 
ences did  she  have.  Often,  on  the  country  roads, 
the  wheels  would  sink  in  the  mud  up  to  the  hubs. 
Every  few  days  the  carriage  would  break  down.  In 
fact  break-downs  became  such  common  occurrences 
that  Miss  Dix  supplied  herself  with  a  kit  of  tools  con- 
taining hammer,  wrenches,  screws,  straps,  and  rope. 
This  box  she  always  carried,  to  help  the  driver  when 
he  stopped  for  repairs. 

Once  she  was  fording  a  wide  river  in  a  carriage. 
Suddenly,  in  mid-stream,  where  the  water  was  already 
up  to  the  carriage  box,  a  wheel  came  off.  One  can 
imagine  the  collapse !  And  these  sorts  of  mishaps  were 
only  part  of  what  she  endured,  for  the  inns  where  she 
stopped  were  very  poor  and  the  food  miserable. 

But,  though  recently  an  invalid,  Dorothea  Dix 
pressed  on  with  the  strength  and  endurance  of  a  life- 
long soldier  hardened  to  every  privation.  She  was 
sustained  by  her  enthusiasm  for  the  service  of  the 
poor,  and  by  the  energy  God  gave  her  when  she  prayed. 
Though  often  ill  with  fever  she  travelled  from  Nova 
Scotia  to  Louisiana,  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Mississippi. 
She  writes,  "I  have  traveled  more  than  ten  thousand 
miles  in  the  last  three  years.  Have  visited  eighteen 


42          Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

state  penitentiaries,  three  hundred  county  jails  and 
houses  of  correction,  and  some  five  hundred  almshouses 
and  other  institutions,  besides  hospitals  and  houses  of 
refuge." 

We  thought  Gordon,  the  man  of  iron,  did  well  to  cover 
eight  thousand  five  hundred  miles  in  three  years.  This 
frail  woman,  through  her  heroic  will,  travelled  ten 
thousand  miles  in  the  same  short  time. 

Sometimes  she  had  exciting  adventures.  A  story 
was  told  in  the  newspapers  of  her  day  which  shows  her 
courage,  the  irresistible  sweetness  of  her  manner,  and 
her  power  to  influence  others: 

"The  other  day,  in  conversation  with  Miss  Dix,  a 
lady  said  to  her,  'Are  you  not  afraid  to  travel  all  over 
the  country  alone,  and  have  you  not  encountered 
dangers  and  been  in  perilous  situations? ' 

"  'I  am  naturally  timid,'  said  Miss  Dix,  'but  in  order 
to  carry  out  my  purposes,  I  know  that  it  is  necessary 
to  encounter  dangers.  I  will  mention  one  which 
occurred  in  the  State  of  Michigan.  I  had  hired  a 
carriage  and  driver  to  convey  me  some  distance  through 
an  uninhabited  portion  of  the  country.  In  starting, 
I  discovered  that  the  driver,  a  young  lad,  had  a  pair 
of  pistols  with  him.  Inquiring  what  he  was  doing 
with  arms,  he  said  he  carried  them  to  protect  us,  as  he 
had  heard  that  robberies  had  been  committed  on  our 
road.  I  said  to  him,  '  Give  me  the  pistols,  —  I  will 
take  care  of  them.'  He  did  so,  reluctantly. 

"In  pursuing  our  journey  through  a  dismal-looking 
forest,  a  man  rushed  into  the  road,  caught  the  horse 
by  the  bridle,  and  demanded  my  purse.  I  said  to  him, 
with  as  much  self-possession  as  I  could  command, 
"Are  you  not  ashamed  to  rob  a  woman?  I  have  but 
little  money,  and  that  I  need  to  defray  my  expenses 
in  visiting  prisons  and  poorhouses,  and  in  giving  to 
objects  of  charity.  If  you  have  been  unfortunate, 


A  Hero  of  Social  Service  43 

are  in  distress  and  in  want  of  money,  I  will  give  you 
some."  While  thus  speaking  to  him  I  discovered  his 
countenance  changing,  and  he  became  deathly  pale. 
''That  voice!"  he  exclaimed,  and  immediately  told  me 
that  he  had  been  in  the  Philadelphia  penitentiary  and 
had  heard  me  talking  to  some  of  the  prisoners  in  an 
adjoining  cell,  and  that  he  now  recognized  my  voice. 
He  then  desired  me  to  pass  on,  and  expressed  deep 
sorrow  at  the  deed  he  had  committed.  But  I  drew 
out  my  purse,  and  said  to  him,  "I  will  give  you  something 
to  support  you  until  you  can  get  into  honest  employ- 
ment." He  declined,  at  first,  taking  anything,  until 
I  insisted  on  his  doing  so,  for  fear  he  might  be  tempted 
to  rob  someone  else  before  he  could  get  into  honest 
employment.' 

"Had  not  Miss  Dix  taken  possession  of  the  pistols," 
her  biographer  adds,  "in  all  probability  they  would 
have  been  used  by  her  driver,  and  perhaps  both  of  them 
murdered.  That  voice  was  more  powerful  in  sub- 
duing the  heart  of  a  robber  than  the  sight  of  a  brace  of 
pistols."  l 

Wherever  she  went  she  took  care  of  the  sick,  gave 
advice  to  those  in  perplexity,  or  started  some  reform 
to  prevent  suffering  and  disaster.  By  the  appeal  that 
rang  in  her  words  she  persuaded  rich  men  to  give  money 
for  hospitals,  influential  politicians  to  work  for  them, 
doctors  to  serve  them.  As  a  result  of  her  efforts  asy- 
lums were  built  in  twenty  states. 

By  the  same  winsome  persuasiveness  she  won  children 
to  give  their  toys  to  amuse  the  old  people  in  the  asylums. 
When  they  heard  from  her  lips  how  the  poor  were  suffer- 
ing they  gladly  gave  what  they  had  to  cheer  those  who 
were  poorer  and  less  fortunate  than  they. 

At  one  time  her  travels  carried  her  far  north,  up 

1  From  Life  of  Dorothea  Dix,  by  Francis  Tiffany.  The  original  has 
been  slightly  altered. 


44          Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

near  Nova  Scotia.  There  she  heard  of  a  place  called 
Sable  Island.  It  was  a  low  stretch  of  sand  and  rocks 
out  in  the  Atlantic  Ocean.  The  treacherous  rocks 
were  covered  by  the  water  and  hundreds  of  ships  had 
been  wrecked  upon  them.  Almost  up  to  that  time 
pirates  had  lived  on  the  island,  where  they  waited  for 
the  doomed  ships  and  robbed  all  the  people  who 
escaped  drowning.  The  coast  was  strewn  with  broken 
timber  and  the  fragments  of  ruined  vessels. 

As  soon  as  she  heard  of  it  Miss  Dix  went  to  the  island. 
She  found  one  of  the  wild  ponies  which  lived  on  its 
lonely  waste  and  rode  it  up  and  down  the  desolate 
beach,  studying  the  situation.  After  four  days  she 
returned  to  Boston,  raised  some  money  and  bought 
lifeboats  and  all  the  rest  of  the  life-saving  outfit. 
She  sent  these  to  start  a  life-saving  station  on  this  most 
dangerous  island. 

Years  had  passed  when  one  day  she  received  a  letter 
enclosing  a  hundred  dollars.  It  was  from  a  sailor  who 
had  been  saved  from  shipwreck  by  one  of  these  life- 
boats. In  his  gratitude  he  sent  the  money  to  Miss  Dix 
and  prayed  she  would  use  it  for  the  benefit  of  unfor- 
tunate seamen. 

The  years  between  1848  and  1854  found  her  at 
Washington,  D.C.,  in  an  office  of  her  own  in  the  Capitol. 
She  was  still  hard  at  work  for  the  insane  of  the  country 
and  had  formulated  a  splendid  plan  for  their  better- 
ment. The  government  was  selling  off  large  tracts 
of  land  out  in  the  far  west.  Suppose,  thought  Miss 
Dix,  she  could  persuade  Congress  to  use  the  money 
from  the  sale  of,  say,  five  million,  or  twelve  million 
acres  of  this  public  land  for  the  benefit  of  the  insane, 
the  blind,  the  deaf,  and  the  dumb! 

Aglow  with  the  thought  she  started  out  to  tell  the 
Representatives  and  Senators  of  her  plan.  Many  of 
them  thought  it  splendid  and  were  ready  to  help  her 


A  Hero  of  Social  Service  45 

carry  it  through.  Day  after  day  she  worked,  through 
the  heat  of  the  summer  months  or  the  stormy  days 
of  winter.  She  rose  every  morning  at  four  or  five 
o'clock  and  spent  the  first  hour  of  the  day  in  prayer. 
Without  this  first  heavenly  hour  of  communion  with 
God,  of  prayer  for  His  spiritual  strength,  she  says, 
she  would  "  faint  and  utterly  fail."  Then  she  an- 
swered the  many  letters  that  came  daily  to  her  desk. 
After  breakfast  at  eight  o'clock  she  spent  the  rest  of 
the  day  talking  to  the  congressmen  about  her  plan, 
or  in  working  for  other  philanthropies. 

Through  the  force  of  her  eloquence  and  enthusiasm 
she  got  the  bill  passed  twice  by  both  houses  of  Con- 
gress. Then  to  her  consternation  President  Franklin 
Pierce  vetoed  the  measure!  His  action  came  to  Miss 
Dix  like  a  thunderbolt  from  a  clear  sky.  Her  heavenly 
dream  of  service  which  had  been  so  near  to  realiza- 
tion was  destroyed! 

She  had  been  sustained  through  these  months  of 
labor  by  the  thought  of  the  relief  she  was  to  bring  to 
thousands  of  helpless  souls.  Now  that  this  was  made 
impossible  her  health  again  failed. 

She  soon  left  Washington  and  sailed  to  Europe  to 
regain  her  strength.  She  was  weary  and  exhausted 
by  her  years  of  travelling  and  heavy  labor,  and  her 
friends  wanted  her  to  go  to  Italy  and  enjoy  the  gondolas 
on  the  lagoons  of  Venice,  or  the  art  galleries  in  Rome 
and  Florence.  It  was  only  fair,  they  said,  that  she 
should  now  have  rest. 

But  such  a  brave  woman  could  not  long  be  discour- 
aged, and  when  word  came  to  her  of  the  suffering  of 
the  insane  in  Scotland  she  rose  immediately  for  a  new 
campaign.  How  could  she  find  enjoyment  in  the 
gondolas  of  Venice  when  the  poor  were  dying  for  her 
help! 

Strangely  enough,  with  this  new  call  to  service  her 


46          Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

strength  came  back.  God  sustains  those  who  serve. 
He  gives  them  daily  help  to  do  their  work. 

In  Scotland  the  people  did  not  want  to  reform  their 
asylums,  and  Miss  Dix  found  fresh  difficulties.  What 
right  had  she,  they  said,  to  come  and  tell  them  how  to 
care  for  their  insane?  They  even  called  her  a  foreigner, 
an  "American  Invader."  The  Lord  Provost  of  Edin- 
burgh hearing  that  she  was  going  to  appeal  to  the 
leading  government  ministers  at  London  to  reform  the 
dreadful  conditions  in  Scotland  decided  he  would  go 
down  to  London  first.  He  would  see  the  Secretary  who 
had  the  matter  in  charge,  and  tell  him  to  pay  no  atten- 
tion to  this  "  terrible  reformer  but  gentle  lady  from 
America." 

Miss  Dix  learned  of  his  scheme.  Immediately  she 
packed  her  bag  and  boarded  the  fastest  train  she  could 
find  for  London.  Then  began  an  exciting  race  as  to 
who  would  get  to  the  office  of  the  Home  Secretary 
first,  Miss  Dix  or  the  Lord  Provost  of  Edinburgh. 

Miss  Dix  won  the  race,  and  soon  the  Home  Secretary 
was  persuaded  to  advocate  measures  in  Parliament 
which  would  provide  splendid  asylums  for  Scotland. 
When  the  Lord  Provost  arrived  he  found  he  was  too 
late;  he  could  do  nothing  at  all. 

Then  there  came  tidings  of  the  suffering  of  the 
insane  on  the  island  of  Jersey.  About  this  she  writes: 
"I  shall  see  their  chains  off.  I  shall  take  them  into  the 
green  fields,  and  show  them  the  lovely  little  flowers  and 
the  blue  sky,  and  they  shall  play  with  the  lambs  and 
listen  to  the  song  of  the  birds,  'and  a  little  child  shall 
lead  them.'  This  is  no  romance,  this  all  will  be,  if  I  get 
to  the  Channel  Islands,  with  God's  blessing."  Through 
the  help  of  God  she  won  another  victory  there,  and 
fulfilled  her  promise. 

She  now  went  south  to  see  what  could  be  done  in 
France.  Then  on  to  Italy  she  hastened,  and  per- 


A  Hero  of  Social  Service  47 

suaded  the  Pope  to  build  a  fine  hospital  for  the  insane 
at  Rome.  Alone,  surrounded  by  difficulties,  she 
travelled  east,  to  Athens  and  to  Constantinople. 
In  Constantinople  she  found  the  Christian  hospitals 
for  the  insane  were  in  a  fearful  condition;  those  be- 
longing to  the  Mohammedans  were  well  managed 
and  needed  no  reforming.  Then  north  she  went  to 
Austria,  to  Russia,  to  Sweden,  down  to  Denmark, 
Belgium,  Holland,  and  Germany,  studying  the  con- 
ditions in  the  hospitals  and  doing  all  she  could  to 
help  them.  After  two  years  in  Europe  she  returned  to 
America. 

The  rest  of  her  life  is  full  of  the  same  beautiful 
service.  During  the  Civil  War  she  was  appointed 
Superintendent  of  Nurses  by  the  government  and 
ministered  to  numberless  sick  and  wounded  soldiers. 
The  nation  she  had  served  so  well  wanted  to  do  some- 
thing to  show  its  appreciation  of  this  noble  woman. 
A  representative  of  the  United  States  Government  called 
upon  her,  to  ask  her  what  she  would  accept.  Might 
they  bestow  a  pension?  She  refused.  Would  she 
accept  a  gift  of  money,  or  of  land  for  a  home?  She 
shook  her  head.  "What  then,"  said  the  speaker, 
"will  you  let  your  Government  do  for  you?"  "Give 
me,"  she  said,  "the  flags  of  my  country!"  Two 
beautiful  great  silk  banners,  the  Stars  and  Stripes, 
were  presented  to  her  with  the  thanks  of  the  nation. 
At  her  death  she  bequeathed  them  to  Harvard  College, 
and  they  hang  today  at  one  end  of  the  great  Memorial 
Hall  of  that  University,  over  the  main  portal. 

After  the  war  was  over  she  toured  the  country, 
visiting  the  asylums  she  had  started.  She  kept  at  her 
self-appointed  labors  until  she  was  eighty  years  old, 
ever  brilliant  in  mind,  sane  in  judgment,  and  full  of 
loving  kindness  for  the  suffering. 

The  last  months  of  her  life  were  spent  in  the  hospital 


48          Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

she  had  founded  at  Trenton,  N.  J.,  and  she  died  there 
at  the  age  of  eighty-five.  For  fifty  years  she  had  had 
no  home,  but  had  wandered  up  and  down  America 
and  Europe,  a  hero  of  social  service.  Because  she 
suffered  and  labored  thousands  of  the  insane  poor  have 
been  tenderly  cared  for  in  the  buildings  which  she 
caused  to  be  built  in  many  lands. 


HEROES  OF  SCIENCE 


CHAPTER  V 
HEROES  OF  SCIENCE 

HAVE  you  ever  visited  a  great  university  and  seen  its 
large  buildings?  Some  of  them  are  called  laboratories. 
In  those  laboratories  are  working  the  knights  of  science. 
They  are  among  the  most  useful  men  in  the  world, 
for  little  by  little  they  are  killing  the  dragons  of  igno- 
rance with  the  spears  of  knowledge. 

Did  you  ever  wonder  who  taught  men  the  secret  of 
making  telephones,  telegraphs,  dynamos,  airplanes, 
factory  machines?  Who  made  known  the  power  which 
would  change  Chicago  or  Boston  from  night  into  day 
by  the  pushing  of  an  electric  button?  What  magician 
taught  our  engineers  how  to  send  express  trains  racing 
from  New  York  to  San  Francisco? 

It  was  the  scientists  and  inventors.  Many  of  them 
work  in  the  laboratories.  Others  make  their  discoveries 
in  shops  and  factories,  or  in  their  homes.  More  exciting 
than  the  tales  of  the  Arabian  Nights  is  the  story  of  how 
these  men  of  science  have  conjured  forth  the  steel  mills 
of  Gary,  the  marvelous  streets  and  skyscraper  buildings 
of  New  York,  the  ocean  liners  of  the  Atlantic,  and  the 
vast  wheat  farms  of  the  Dakotas.  Equally  wonderful 
is  the  story  of  the  attacks  on  the  dragons  of  evil  and 
disease,  the  discovery  of  the  causes  and  cures  for  great 
scourges  like  the  black  death,  cholera,  and  yellow  fever. 

Three  of  these  scientists  whom  the  world  will  long 
honor  are  Americans:  Dr.  Walter  Reed  and  his  helpers, 
Dr.  Carrol  and  Dr.  Lazear. 

A  scientist  gets  his  knowledge,  first,  through  hard 
study.  Walter  Reed  loved  his  books.  He  could 


Heroes  of  Science  53 

study  twenty  hours  a  day.  When  he  became  sleepy 
he  just  thought  of  all  there  was  in  the  book  before  him 
that  he  did  not  know;  then  he  set  to  work  again,  fresh 
and  vigorous.  He  was  but  seventeen  years  old  when  he 
graduated  from  college  at  Charlottesville,  Virginia, 
and  was  given  a  physician's  diploma,  —  the  youngest 
man  who  had  ever  taken  a  medical  degree  at  the 
University  of  Virginia. 

He  decided  at  his  graduation  to  give  his  life  to 
helping  those  who  were  sick.  He  would  try  to  forget 
himself  and  his  comfort  and  think  only  of  destroying 
disease  and  making  sick  people  well. 

For  the  first  six  years  after  his  graduation  he  worked 
among  the  poor  in  the  hospitals  and  the  slums  of  New 
York  City.  Then  he  was  appointed  by  the  government 
to  be  an  army  surgeon,  and  went  with  a  regiment  of 
the  government's  soldiers  out  to  Arizona. 

Some  of  the  western  states  were  very  wild  in  those 
days.  His  first  post  was  six  hundred  miles  from  a 
railroad.  Indian  tribes  were  all  around  him,  but 
he  was  not  in  the  least  afraid  of  them.  He  took 
care  of  them  in  their  illnesses  just  as  he  had  cared 
for  the  poor  in  Brooklyn.  He  always  gave  his  best 
service  to  those  who  were  poor  and  could  not  pay 
him. 

Sometimes  he  was  ill  in  bed  with  a  fever,  but  if  word 
came  that  someone  else  was  ill  and  needed  him  he  would 
get  up  and  dress,  holding  to  a  chair  perhaps  to  steady 
himself,  and  would  start  off  to  see  his  patient. 

Once  he  started  out  at  sundown  for  the  cabin  of  a 
sick  woman  twelve  miles  away.  The  temperature  was 
below  zero  and  a  storm  which  had  arisen  during  the 
day  had  grown  into  a  blizzard.  The  blizzard  was  so 
terrible  that  even  horses  turned  and  fled  before  its 
oncoming  fury.  Yet  he  was  able  to  drive  his  horse 
through  it  all,  wandering  for  hours  hither  and  thither 


54          Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

in  the  blinding  snow  until  at  last  he  reached  the  cabin 
at  midnight. 

The  Indians  soon  learned  to  love  him,  he  was  so  kind 
to  them.  They  wanted  to  show  him  how  much  they 
loved  him.  So  when  he  and  Mrs.  Reed  were  away 
from  home  they  would  creep  into  their  house  with  pres- 
ents. When  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Reed  came  back  they 
might  find  a  great  piece  of  venison  lying  on  the  dresser 
in  Mrs.  Reed's  bedroom,  or  perhaps  a  picture  would 
have  been  taken  down  from  the  wall  and  the  piece  of 
venison  hung  on  the  nail  in  its  place.  The  Indians 
would  all  be  gone. 

Ever  cheerful,  useful,  undaunted,  for  eighteen  years 
this  soldier-doctor  fought  weather  and  disease  in  frontier 
camps.  Then  he  was  called  to  be  a  professor  of  med- 
icine and  a  scientific  investigator  in  the  United  States 
Army  Medical  School  at  Washington.  This  brought 
him  the  chance  to  do  another  kind  of  service  to  man- 
kind. His  training  as  an  unselfish  and  heroic  doctor 
had  prepared  him  to  become  a  hero  in  scientific 
discovery. 

There  are  two  ways  to  insure  health  to  a  person. 
One  way  is  to  cure  him  after  he  is  ill.  The  other 
and  better  way  is  to  destroy  the  causes  of  illness 
and  prevent  his  ever  getting  sick  at  all.  To  find  and 
destroy  the  cause  of  disease  is  the  greatest  service  of 
medical  science. 

Between  the  years  1880  and  1900  wonderful  dis- 
coveries were  made  by  the  scientists  who  worked  in  their 
laboratories  about  the  causes  of  such  diseases  as  diph- 
theria, malaria,  and  pneumonia.  These  scientists  found 
that  people  become  ill  with  a  fever  in  the  strangest  way. 
Tiny  little  beings,  so  small  that  they  can  be  seen  only 
under  a  microscope,  will  enter  a  man's  body  when  he 
breathes  dust  or  drinks  bad  water.  These  little  beings 
are  called  germs,  or  bacteria,  and  they  will  stay  in  his 


Heroes  of  Science  55 

body  and  often  make  him  ill.  One  kind  of  bacteria 
is  the  germ  of  typhoid  fever.  Another  kind  causes 
tuberculosis;  another,  yellow  fever.  Now,  dust  and 
bad  water  and  bad  food  are  full  of  such  bacteria.  So 
the  scientists  said  people  must  be  careful  to  breathe 
pure  air,  drink  clean  water,  and  eat  good  food,  and 
to  keep  so  vigorous  that  the  body  will  resist  these 
intruders. 

Then  they  discovered  that  there  are  other  and  still 
stranger  ways  by  which  these  germs  get  into  people's 
bodies.  Dr.  Reed,  in  his  laboratory  work  at  Washing- 
ton, found  that  flies  carry  the  germs,  sometimes  millions 
of  them,  on  their  legs,  and  leave  them  wherever  they 
go.  During  the  Spanish- American  war  hundreds  of 
soldiers  became  ill  with  typhoid  fever.  Dr.  Reed  was 
asked  to  go  to  the  camps  and  discover  the  cause  of  this 
spread  of  typhoid.  He  found  it  was  because  the 
soldiers  ate  food  over  which  the  flies  had  crawled. 
He  showed  that  the  men's  tents  and  provisions  must 
be  protected  by  screens;  then  they  would  not  have  these 
fevers. 

Yellow  fever  was  a  foe  which  preyed  upon  the  people 
of  America  and  Cuba.  For  years  it  had  devastated 
Havana.  Again  and  again  it  swept  through  America's 
southern  states.  One  time  it  caused  the  death  of  eight 
thousand  people  in  New  Orleans.  Again,  it  killed  one 
person  in  every  ten  in  Philadelphia. 

Some  one  had  suggested  that  a  mosquito,  if  it  bit 
a  person  ill  with  yellow  fever  took  the  fever  germs  into 
its  body.  Then,  flying  elsewhere,  it  would  bite  a  well 
person  and  with  the  bite  would  inject  into  that  person's 
blood  these  same  germs. 

Dr.  Reed  with  four  assistants,  among  whom  were 
Dr.  Carrol  and  Dr.  Lazear,  decided  to  prove  whether 
this  was  true  or  not.  So  they  went  down  to  Cuba 
where  the  yellow  fever  mosquito,  as  it  is  called,  was  to 


56          Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

be  found.  The  best  way  to  study  the  subject,  they 
decided,  would  be  to  let  a  mosquito  which  they  knew 
had  bitten  a  yellow  fever  patient  bite  them.  Of 
course  they  might  become  ill  with  the  fever.  Yet 
what  an  opportunity  for  service  was  theirs!  If  people 
could  be  sure  that  the  mosquito's  bite  caused  yellow 
fever  then  they  could  destroy  the  yellow  fever  mos- 
quito and  thousands  of  lives  might  be  saved.  So 
Dr.  Reed  and  his  companions,  at  the  risk  of  their  lives, 
began  their  investigations. 

Quite  fearlessly,  Dr.  Carrol  and  Dr.  Lazear  volun- 
teered to  try  the  experiment  on  themselves  and  let  the 
mosquito  bite  them.  They  knew  this  bite  might  cause 
their  death,  but  they  loved  the  truth  and  the  service 
of  men  more  than  their  own  lives,  and  they  gladly 
took  the  risk. 

After  receiving  the  mosquito's  bite  they  both  became 
ill  with  yellow  fever.  Dr.  Carrol  was  very,  very  ill, 
but  recovered.  Dr.  Lazear  died  in  a  few  days,  —  a 
splendid  martyr  to  science  and  mankind. 

Then  two  young  men,  soldiers  in  the  army,  came  to 
Dr.  Reed  and  offered  to  try  the  experiment.  Dr. 
Reed  explained  to  them  the  risk  and  offered  to  pay 
them.  They  replied  that  they  would  take  no  money, 
they  wished  to  offer  their  lives  "  solely  in  the  interest 
of  humanity  and  the  cause  of  science."  Dr.  Reed, 
full  of  admiration  for  their  nobility  of  character,  touched 
his  cap  in  military  fashion,  saying  respectfully,  "Gen tie- 
men,  I  salute  you."  Then  he  accepted  their  services. 
Later  he  reported:  "In  my  opinion  this  exhibition  of 
moral  courage  has  never  been  surpassed  in  the  annals 
of  the  Army  of  the  United  States." 

By  their  experiments  in  Cuba  Dr.  Reed  and  his 
devoted  companions  proved  beyond  question  that 
yellow  fever  is  transmitted  by  the  mosquito.  Soon 
after,  Dr.  Reed  himself  died  in  Baltimore,  at  the  age 


Heroes  of  Science  57 

of  fifty-one.  He  was  worn  out  by  his  excessive  labors 
for  the  sick  and  the  fever-stricken. 

As  a  result  of  his  discoveries  the  health  officers  in 
the  South  began  a  war  upon  the  mosquitoes.  They 
dried  up  pools  of  water  where  mosquitoes'  eggs  were 
hatched,  or  killed  the  eggs  by  covering  the  pools  with 
oil.  They  also  screened  the  houses  more  carefully 
than  ever,  to  keep  out  the  mosquitoes  which  they  could 
not  kill.  These  precautions  brought  quick  results  and 
the  yellow  fever  epidemics  disappeared. 

Because  some  men  of  science  were  willing  to  lay  down 
their  lives  that  other  people  might  live,  this  plague 
of  the  centuries  was  driven  out  of  our  southern  cities 
and  Cuba,  and  in  time  will  be  driven  from  the  world. 


THE  YOUNGEST  COLLEGE   PRESIDENT 


CHAPTER  VI 
THE  YOUNGEST  COLLEGE  PRESIDENT 

SCIENTISTS  who  work  in  laboratories  are  like  divers. 
They  search  for  the  pearls  called  Truth.  From  the 
depths  of  the  sea  of  knowledge  they  come  with  glistening 
jewels  in  their  hands.  Teachers  take  these  treasures 
that  they  may  give  them  to  their  pupils.  Both  are 
needed  if  the  jewels  are  to  be  given  to  the  world. 

One  of  these  teachers  was  Alice  Freeman,  who  was 
born  on  a  farm  in  New  York.  When  she  was  only 
three  years  old  she  taught  herself  to  read.  At  four 
she  entered  the  county  school,  and  by  the  time  she 
was  five  she  was  taking  much  care  of  her  younger 
brothers  and  sisters. 

Once,  when  she  was  still  very  small  she  recited  a 
poem  at  school  before  a  large  audience.  She  did  it 
so  nicely  that  everybody  applauded.  To  the  surprise 
of  all  Alice  began  to  clap  her  hands  too.  She  thought 
so  little  about  herself  it  never  occurred  to  her  that  the 
people  were  clapping  for  her. 

When  she  was  a  little  girl  she  used  to  get  very  angry 
when  she  could  not  have  her  own  way.  She  would 
throw  herself  down  and  beat  the  floor  with  her  heels. 
But  she  learned  to  control  herself,  and  this  was  the 
way  it  happened.  One  day  her  brother  Fred  got  angry 
at  something  and  behaved  just  as  Alice  did.  She 
watched  him.  Then  she  went  off  and  did  some 
thinking.  Later,  she  said  to  her  mother,  "Do  I  look 
like  that  when  I  am  angry?"  Her  mother  answered, 
"Yes,  Alice."  "If  that  is  so,"  replied  Alice,  "I  will 
never  be  angry  again."  And  she  kept  her  resolve. 


The  Youngest  College  President  61 

When  she  grew  up  and  graduated  from  high  school 
she  was  eager  to  go  to  college.  But  where  was  the 
money  to  come  from?  Her  father  and  mother  were 
exceedingly  poor  and  could  not  afford  to  send  her 
away  to  the  University  of  Michigan  where  she  desired 
to  go.  Alice  resolved  to  earn  the  money  to  pay  her 
expenses. 

Her  precious  fund  was  growing  bit  by  bit  when  she 
heard  that  the  church  where  she  went  needed  new 
lamps  to  make  it  bright  for  the  evening  services. 
Straightway  she  took  the  money  from  her  savings  and 
bought  the  lamps.  To  make  up  for  what  she  had  given 
she  went  without  a  new  coat  that  winter.  At  last 
she  earned  enough  money  to  enter  college. 

At  the  University  of  Michigan  she  had  a  joyous 
time.  She  took  long  tramps  in  summer,  went  skating 
in  winter,  belonged  to  many  clubs.  She  was  perhaps 
the  happiest  girl  in  all  the  great  college.  The  presi- 
dent of  the  University  said  that  wherever  she  went 
she  carried  happiness  and  good  cheer. 

Why  was  she  so  happy?  Not  because  she  had  money ; 
she  was  very  poor,  and  often  her  shoes  and  dress  were 
shabby.  Not  because  she  had  health;  she  was  often 
ill,  and  had  a  cough  almost  all  her  life.  She  was 
happy  because  she  studied  hard  and  learned  so  many 
interesting  things,  and  did  her  very  best  all  the  time. 
She  was  happy  because  she  tried  to  make  joyous  the 
hearts  of  the  girls  in  college.  She  loved  them  so  much 
that  in  the  midst  of  her  studying  she  would  sit  up  all 
night  with  a  sick  friend.  She  learned  very  quickly 
the  secret  which  the  prince  in  the  fairy  story  learned 
so  slowly:  if  you  would  be  happy  yourself  try  to  make 
somebody  else  happy.  She  was  one  of  the  most  popular 
students  in  the  University.  Her  motto  was:  Love 
everybody  and  make  them  love  you. 


62          Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

When  she  graduated  from  the  University  she  went  to 
teach  in  a  high  school  at  Saginaw,  Michigan.  The  pupils 
in  this  school  had  not  learned  how  to  be  courteous 
and  friendly  to  each  other  or  to  their  teacher  and  they 
made  a  great  deal  of  trouble  for  everyone.  But  soon, 
when  they  saw  how  much  Miss  Freeman  loved  them, 
and  how  much  she  was  able  to  teach  them,  they  decided 
to  help  and  obey  her. 

Her  family  in  New  York  were  by  this  time  in  great 
need  of  her  aid.  They  had  lost  almost  all  their  scanty 
income,  and  her  younger  sister,  Stella,  was  ill.  So 
Miss  Freeman  brought  the  whole  family  to  Saginaw, 
rented  a  house,  and  with  the  help  of  another  sister 
took  care  of  them  all.  The  next  year  she  sent  her 
brother  Fred  to  college.  She  had  to  go  without  many 
things  herself  in  order  to  do  this,  but  to  help  him  was 
her  great  joy. 

One  day  while  she  was  teaching  at  Saginaw,  the 
President  of  the  University  of  Michigan  visited  the 
high  school.  He  saw  what  a  splendid  teacher  Miss 
Freeman  had  become,  how  well  she  did  her  work. 
So  he  wrote  a  bright  story  about  her  to  the  founders 
of  a  new  college  near  Boston,  called  Wellesley.  As  a 
result  of  his  letter  she  was  invited  to  become  a  pro- 
fessor of  history  at  Wellesley. 

She  accepted  the  offer  and  was  soon  teaching  in  this 
now  famous  college  for  girls.  Her  classes  became 
so  popular  they  had  to  give  her  their  largest  lecture 
room.  In  fact,  her  work  at  the  new  college  was 
so  excellent  that  when  she  had  been  there  three  years 
she  was  made  its  president.  She  was  twenty-six 
years  old,  the  youngest  president  a  college  had  ever 
had. 

In  those  days  there  were  only  a  few  buildings  at 
Wellesley  College.  There  were  the  broad  grounds 


The  Youngest  College  President  63 

which  Mr.  Durant  had  given.  But  most  of  the  halls 
and  dormitories  which  we  find  there  today  were  yet 
to  be  built.  The  designs  must  be  drawn  for  them, 
and  money  raised  to  pay  for  them.  Then  there  were 
studies  to  be  planned  and  teachers  to  be  engaged  to 
teach  in  the  new  buildings.  All  this  must  be  done  by 
the  young  president,  Miss  Freeman. 

When  she  was  a  little  girl  and  lived  on  the  farm 
Alice  Freeman  had  been  happy  in  everything  she  did, 
in  feeding  the  chickens,  or  milking  the  cows,  or  holding 
the  horse  for  her  father.  She  found  the  same  joy  in 
her  work  for  Wellesley  College.  And  all  the  time  the 
great  buildings  were  growing  Miss  Freeman  was 
building  happiness  and  hopefulness  and  kindness  into 
the  lives  of  the  girls  who  came  to  Wellesley. 

One  day  a  girl  was  sitting  in  the  hall  of  one  of  the 
buildings.  She  had  come  to  Wellesley  to  study. 
She  knew  no  one  at  all  and  was  homesick  and  lonely. 
Suddenly  a  group  of  people  came  down  the  hall.  In 
the  center  of  the  group  was  a  young  woman.  She  was 
talking  happily  and  her  face  was  bright  with  joy  and 
love.  She  gave  just  one  look  of  kindness  to  the  home- 
sick girl,  and  passed  on.  The  girl  did  not  know  who 
she  was,  but  with  that  glance  of  love  she  felt  her 
loneliness  leave  and  joy  enter  her  heart.  Soon  she 
learned  that  the  beautiful  smile  had  come  from  the 
president  of  the  college.  From  that  day  she  was  home- 
sick no  more. 

Miss  Freeman  was  president  of  Wellesley  for  five 
years.  Then  she  was  married  to  Professor  Palmer  of 
Harvard  College  and  went  to  live  in  Cambridge. 
From  her  home  she  continued  her  work  of  inspiration 
and  guidance.  Students  and  statesmen,  rich  and 
poor,  came  for  her  help.  She  worked  for  all  the  schools 
of  Massachusetts.  She  was  Dean  of  Women  at  the 
University  of  Chicago.  Always  we  think  of  her  as 


64          Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

the  ideal  teacher,  one  of  the  most  heroic  and  beautiful 
among  American  women. 
The  following  story  illustrates  a  teacher's  influence: 

THE  HOLY  SHADOW 

In  the  days  when  men,  whether  asleep  or  awake, 
saw  angels  in  their  dreams,  there  was  a  Jain  saint  whose 
life  was  so  pure  that  heavenly  spirits  came  down  to 
look  upon  his  gracious  presence.  His  lips  did  not 
talk  much  of  love;  but  his  daily  actions  spoke,  and 
his  smile  carried  the  message  of  tenderness  and 
forgiveness. 

The  angels  said  to  God:  — 

"Grant  this  man  the  power  to  work  miracles." 

"It  shall  be  as  you  wish,"  replied  God;  "ask  him 
what  power  he  wishes  for." 

"Should  you,"  asked  the  angels,  "like  to  have 
power  in  your  hands  to  heal  the  sick?" 

"No,"  he  said;  and  so  also  he  said  to  other  ques- 
tions from  his  shining  friends. 

"But  we  are  resolved  that  you  shall  possess  some 
wondrous  gift,"  they  told  him. 

"Then,"  said  the  man,  meekly,  "let  me  do  good 
without  knowing  it  as  I  pass  to  and  fro." 

What  soft  charm,  what  gentle  influence  could  flow 
from  the  man  in  such  wise  that  he  himself  knev/  naught 
of  the  good  he  did? 

The  angels  thought  of  his  shadow.  Yes,  his  very 
shadow  should  bless  the  sad  and  the  humble  as  he 
walked  by. 

His  shadow  fell  on  dry  ground,  and  it  became  green 
with  grass.  It  fell  on  shallow  brooks  and  they  swelled 
up  in  full,  clear  streams.  It  fell  on  pale  children,  and 
their  cheeks  flushed  with  a  healthy  red,  and  the 
mothers'  hearts  beat  with  joy. 

The  folk  hastened  to  place  themselves  within  the 


The  Youngest  College  President  65 

blessed  shadow  of  the  saint.  They  said  no  word  of 
prayer  to  him;  they  cried  no  cry  of  praise.  In  silence 
the  power  flitted  from  the  man  to  the  people;  and 
they  called  him  Holy  Shadow.  Such  shadows  may 
we  all  be! 

Taken  from  E.  J.  Gould's  Moral  Instruction  (published 
by  Longmans,  Green  &  Go.). 


MOSES,  THE   LAWGIVER  OF  ISRAEL 


CHAPTER  VII 
MOSES,    THE  LAWGIVER   OF  ISRAEL 

WHO  made  the  heroes'  wills  so  fearless  and  their 
hearts  so  loving?  The  great  teachers  of  heroes  are  those 
mightier  heroes  called  prophets. 

The  prophets  are  men  like  Jesus,  or  Isaiah,  or  Buddha, 
whose  hearts  are  so  pure  that  the  voice  of  God  can 
speak  through  them,  whose  lives  are  so  holy  that  thou- 
sands are  inspired  to  love  and  obey  them. 

Jesus  is  the  great  teacher  for  the  people  of  Europe 
and  America.  The  millions  of  India  have  as  their 
beloved  prophet,  Buddha.  In  China,  the  great  reli- 
gious leader  is  Confucius. 

The  prophet  of  the  Hebrews,  the  teacher  who  made 
them  into  a  nation,  is  Moses. 

The  Hebrews  had  been  in  captivity  in  Egypt  for 
many,  many  years.  They  had  become  so  numerous 
that  Pharaoh,  the  king  of  Egypt,  was  afraid  of  them. 
"They  might  rebel  against  the  way  we  treat  them," 
he  thought  "and  rise  up  and  destroy  us  and  recover 
their  liberty." 

So  he  sent  out  a  decree  that  every  baby  boy  who  was 
born  in  a  Hebrew  home  should  be  killed.  Then  there 
would  be  no  boys  left  to  grow  up  into  strong  warriors, 
and  Pharaoh  would  be  safe. 

Moses  was  one  of  the  Hebrew  babies  who  was  born 
after  the  making  of  this  decree.  We  all  know  the  story 
of  how  he  was  hidden  in  the  bulrushes  by  his  mother, 
was  found  by  the  king's  daughter,  and  how,  when  he 
became  a  little  older,  he  was  adopted  by  the  princess 
as  her  son. 


72          Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

Thus  Moses  grew  up  in  the  king's  palace  as  though 
he  had  been  born  a  prince. 

The  people  at  the  court  were  very  wicked.  They 
worshipped  idols,  and  animals  such  as  the  cow  and 
the  crocodile.  In  their  ignorance  they  thought  these 
animals  and  idols  could  help  them.  They  were  also 
very  selfish  and  cruel,  especially  Pharaoh,  the  king. 

When  Moses  became  a  man,  he  remembered  that 
the  oppressed  Hebrews  were  his  brethren.  One  day 
he  went  out  to  see  how  his  own  people  were  faring. 
He  saw  the  heavy  burdens  that  were  put  upon  them, 
and  when  he  saw  an  Egyptian  beating  a  Hebrew,  he 
struck  the  Egyptian  to  stop  him.  The  blow  was 
so  hard  that  the  man  fell  dead.  Moses  quickly  hid 
the  body  in  the  sand,  hoping  no  one  had  seen  him. 
When  he  went  out  another  day  he  saw  two  Hebrew 
men  striving  together.  He  tried  to  make  peace  between 
them,  saying  to  him  who  had  done  the  wrong,  "Why 
do  you  strike  one  of  your  own  kinsmen?  "  And  the  man 
answered,  "Who  made  you  a  prince  and  a  judge  over 
us?  Do  you  mean  to  kill  me,  as  you  did  the  Egyptian?" 

Then  Moses  knew  that  what  he  had  done  was  known, 
and  he  feared  for  his  life.  And  the  matter  came  to 
Pharaoh's  ears,  so  that  he  knew  that  Moses  was  stand- 
ing by  the  enslaved  Hebrew  people,  and  he  sought  to 
kill  him. 

So  Moses  fled  out  of  Egypt,  and  over  the  Red  Sea. 
Hundreds  of  miles  he  travelled,  through  the  desert, 
to  the  east,  to  a  land  called  Midian.  He  was  dejected 
and  lonely,  afraid  to  stop  anywhere  lest  Pharaoh  find 
him  and  have  him  slain. 

One  day  he  came  to  a  well  and  sat  down  to  rest. 
Presently  the  seven  daughters  of  Jethro,  a  priest  of 
Midian,  came  up,  bringing  their  sheep  to  the  trough 
to  be  watered.  But  no  sooner  had  they  arrived  at 
the  well  than  some  rough  shepherds  came  near  with  their 


Moses,  the  Lawgiver  of  Israel  73 

sheep  and  tried  to  drive  them  away  and  take  the  water 
they  had  drawn.  But  Moses  helped  them  and  watered 
their  flocks. 

The  maidens  went  home  and  told  their  father,  Jethro, 
of  the  Egyptian,  as  they  called  him,  who  had  protected 
them.  When  Jethro  heard  of  Moses'  kindness  to  his 
daughters  he  said  to  them,  "And  where  is  he?  Why 
is  it  that  ye  have  left  the  man?  Call  him,  that  he  may 
eat  bread."  So  they  brought  Moses  to  their  father's 
house.  He  stayed  with  them  and  became  a  shepherd, 
and  after  a  while  married  one  of  Jethro's  daughters. 

All  alone  he  wandered  with  his  sheep  over  the  desert 
and  past  great  mountains.  One  of  these,  Mount 
Horeb  or  Sinai,  became  one  of  the  most  celebrated 
mountains  in  the  world  because  it  was  there  that  Moses 
had  some  marvelous  spiritual  experiences.  One  of 
these  was  his  vision  of  the  burning  bush: 

"Now  Moses  led  the  flock  to  the  back  of  the  wilder- 
ness, and  came  to  the  mountain  of  God  unto  Horeb. 
And  the  angel  of  the  Lord  appeared  unto  him  in  a 
flame  of  fire  out  of  the  midst  of  a  bush:  and  he  looked, 
and,  behold,  the  bush  burned  with  fire,  and  the  bush  was 
not  consumed.  And  Moses  said,  I  will  now  turn  aside, 
and  see  this  great  sight,  why  the  bush  is  not  burnt. 

"And  when  the  Lord  saw  that  he  turned  aside  to  see, 
God  called  to  him  out  of  the  midst  of  the  bush,  and 
said,  Moses,  Moses.  And  he  said,  Here  am  I.  And 
he  said,  Draw  not  nigh  hither:  put  off  thy  shoes  from 
off  thy  feet,  for  the  place  whereon  thou  standest  is 
holy  ground.  I  am  the  God  of  thy  father,  the  God  of 
Abraham,  the  God  of  Isaac,  and  the  God  of  Jacob. 
And  Moses  hid  his  face,  for  he  was  afraid  to  look 
upon  God." 

The  voice  told  Moses  that  he  was  to  go  back  to  Egypt 
and  deliver  the  Hebrews  from  then*  long  slavery. 
The  Egyptians  were  treating  them  very  cruelly,  beating 


74         Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

them  and  driving  them  to  build  great  buildings.  ' '  They 
were  so  unhappy  that  their  food  became  even  like  unto 
morsels  of  their  own  hearts  swelling  with  blood,  and 
their  drink,  tears." 

The  voice  of  God  declared  that  Moses  must  set  them 
free.  But  Moses  remonstrated  with  the  Divine  Voice. 
"Who  am  I,  that  I  should  bring  forth  the  children  of 
Israel  out  of  Egypt?  I  am  not  eloquent,  I  am  slow  of 
speech,  and  of  a  slow  tongue."  Perhaps  Moses  stam- 
mered when  he  tried  to  talk.  But  the  voice  of  God 
replied,  "Certainly  I  will  be  with  thee."  He  need  not 
fear.  God,  who  had  made  all  the  worlds,  would  go 
with  him,  pour  his  eternal  life  into  his  heart,  and  speak 
through  his  lips. 

Moses  faced  now  a  great  dilemma.  If  he  went  to 
Egypt  it  was  very  probable  that  Pharaoh  would  have 
him  killed.  And  even  if  he  escaped  that  danger,  how 
would  he  get  the  Hebrews  to  follow  him?  Would  they 
not  merely  laugh  at  him  and  say  he  was  foolish,  that 
God  had  never  appeared  to  him  at  all? 

His  experience  had  been  so  wonderful  he  knew  it 
was  God's  light  and  voice  that  had  come  from  the  bush. 
He  also  knew  that  if  he  refused  to  obey  God's  command 
he  would  not  see  the  divine  fire  in  the  bush  any  more. 
He  would  never  again  hear  the  heavenly  sweetness  of 
that  voice.  God  will  not  reveal  himself  to  cowards, 
to  those  who  refuse  to  obey  him.  Only  the  obedient 
can  have  the  vision. 

Moses  decided  he  would  rather  face  any  danger  than 
be  separated  from  God.  So  he  started  on  the  long 
journey  back  to  Egypt.  We  can  imagine  the  joy  that 
came  into  his  heart  when  he  decided  to  obey  the 
heavenly  vision  and  tread  the  road  of  duty.  We  can 
imagine  what  strength  God  poured  into  him,  his  body, 
his  will,  his  heart.  He  became  very  pure,  —  "a  man 
of  God"  they  called  him. 


Moses,  the  Lawgiver  of  Israel  75 

When  he  reached  Egypt  he  went  to  Pharaoh,  with 
his  brother  Aaron  who  had  joined  him,  and  asked  for 
the  release  of  the  Hebrews.  Pharaoh  became  very 
angry  at  this  request  and  instead  of  freeing  his  slaves 
4  ,  3  orders  that  their  burdens  should  be  doubled. 
\Jt)  to  this  time  the  Hebrew  workmen  had  been  fur- 
nished the  straw  for  the  bricks  they  made.  Now  they 
were  compelled  to  gather  their  own  straw,  yet  make 
just  as  many  bricks  as  before.  When  they  could  not 
do  this  the  Egyptians  beat  them. 

The  situation  seemed  unbearable,  and  the  Hebrews 
came  to  Moses  and  Aaron  and  told  them  they  were 
responsible  for  all  this  trouble.  But  Moses,  firm  in 
his  faith,  urged  them  to  be  patient,  for  God  would 
surely  lead  them  out  of  their  slavery.  Again  and  again 
he  and  Aaron  went  to  Pharaoh  and  plead  with  him  to 
let  the  Hebrews  go. 

At  last,  when  dreadful  plagues,  one  after  another, 
had  swept  through  Egypt,  one  of  which  even  caused 
the  death  of  the  heir  to  the  throne,  Pharaoh  relented 
and  gave  the  long  sought  permission. 

Moses  instantly  gathered  the  Hebrews  together  and 
started  off.  They  left  in  such  haste  that  the  people 
who  were  making  bread  took  their  dough  before  it 
was  leavened,  their  kneading-troughs  being  bound  up 
in  their  clothes  upon  their  shoulders. 

Away  they  fled,  toward  the  Red  Sea.  And  they  were 
none  too  quick,  for  Pharaoh,  repenting  that  he  had  let 
his  workmen  go,  gathered  all  his  chariots  together  and 
started  in  pursuit. 

When  the  Hebrews  came  to  the  Red  Sea  we  are  told 
a  remarkable  thing  happened.  A  strong  east  wind 
which  was  blowing  forced  back  the  shallow  water  of 
the  sea.  This  left  a  dry  strip  over  which  the  Hebrews 
passed.  But  when  the  pursuing  Egyptians  arrived  and 
tried  to  follow,  their  heavy  chariot  wheels  stuck  in 


76         Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

the  mud  of  the  sea-bed  and  before  they  could  get  out 
the  waves  came  rushing  back,  and  they  were  drowned. 
The  Hebrews,  safe  on  the  further  shore,  were  wild 
with  joy  over  their  deliverance  and  sang  a  great  song 
of  triumph  which  begins  with  the  words: 

"I  will  sing  unto  the  Lord,  for  he  hath  triumphed 

gloriously, 

The  horse  and  his  rider  hath  he  thrown  into  the 
sea." 

II 

Their  troubles,  however,  were  by  no  means  over  with 
the  drowning  of  Pharaoh's  company,  for  before  them 
lay  the  desert,  hot  and  dry,  where  food  was  scarce  and 
water  was  hard  to  find.  Moses  had  told  them  that 
there  was  a  land  flowing  with  milk  and  honey,  called 
Canaan,  and  that  God  would  give  it  to  them  if  they 
would  keep  up  their  courage  and  travel  on.  They 
expected  to  find  it  at  once,  but  when,  after  wandering 
in  the  desert  for  more  than  a  month  they  had  not  yet 
arrived  at  Canaan  they  lost  their  faith  and  began  to 
complain,  saying,  "  Would  we  had  died  by  the  hand  of 
the  Lord  in  the  land  of  Egypt  when  we  sat  by  the 
flesh  pots,  and  when  we  did  eat  bread  to  the  full." 

Moses,  undiscouraged  by  their  crying  and  wailing, 
cheered  and  led  them  on.  God  guided  him,  and  he 
found  water  for  them  to  drink,  and  food  where  no  one 
thought  it  possible. 

Hunger  and  thirst,  however,  were  not  their  only 
enemies.  The  desert  was  full  of  wandering  tribes  who 
were  warlike,  and  blocked  the  Hebrews'  path.  In 
those  ancient  days  war  was  universal.  Men  lived  by 
means  of  it.  The  nation  strongest  in  battle  rose  and 
flourished. 

At  a  place  called  Reph'i-dim  some  desert  tribes 
attacked  the  Israelites  and  a  great  battle  took  place. 


Moses,  the  Lawgiver  of  Israel  77 

As  the  battle  went  on  Moses  climbed  a  high  hill  and 
stood  where  his  soldiers  could  see  him.  So  inspiring 
was  he  to  them  that  just  to  look  at  him  with  his 
rod  held  high  gave  them  strength  and  courage  to 
fight.  When  his  arm  was  up  they  thought,  Moses 
believes  we  will  win,  and  they  fought  victoriously. 
But  when  they  looked  and  Moses'  arm  was  down  they 
said,  Moses  is  discouraged,  and  immediately  they 
lost  heart,  and  were  defeated.  So  Aaron,  his  brother, 
and  Hur,  his  friend,  held  up  Moses'  arms  for  him  all 
day,  until  the  going  down  of  the  sun,  so  that  whenever 
the  Israelites  looked  to  the  hilltop  they  might  see 
Moses  in  his  glory  and  strength,  encouraging  them  with 
uplifted  arms.  Then  they  felt  his  power  come  into 
them  and  they  rushed  forward  to  victory. 

In  their  journey  through  the  wilderness  the  Hebrews 
arrived  at  last  at  the  foot  of  Mount  Sinai,  the  wonderful 
mountain  where  Moses  had  seen  the  burning  bush. 
And  they  encamped  about  its  base. 

Now  Moses  was  their  prophet,  general,  king,  and 
judge,  all  at  the  same  time.  The  people  brought  to 
him  their  problems  and  disputes  and  he  settled  them. 
His  love  for  them  was  so  great  that  he  would  sit  all 
day  long  while  the  people  told  him  their  troubles. 

One  day  his  father-in-law,  Jethro,  who  lived  not  far 
from  Sinai,  came  to  see  him.  And  when  Moses' 
father-in-law  saw  all  that  he  did,  he  said,  "Thou  wilt 
surely  wear  away,  both  thou  and  this  people  that  is 
with  thee:  for  this  thing  is  too  heavy  for  thee;  thou 
art  not  able  to  perform  it  thyself  alone."  And  he 
advised  Moses  to  divide  the  people  into  small  groups 
and  place  a  captain  over  each  group.  These  cap- 
tains could  decide  for  them  their  innumerable  small 
difficulties.  Then  they  would  bring  Moses  only  the 
important  matters.  This  Moses  did. 

After  a  while  Moses  saw  that  the  people  needed  more 


78         Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

and  better  laws  to  guide  them.  So  he  left  them  in  the 
valley  and  went  up  the  mountain  alone,  to  pray  that 
God,  the  source  of  all  knowledge,  would  reveal  to  him 
these  laws.  He  knew  if  he  could  be  very  pure  and 
quiet  and  full  of  faith,  the  voice  of  God  would  speak 
in  his  heart.  In  order  that  he  might  pray  the  more 
earnestly  he  ate  no  food  for  many  days. 

For  forty  days  and  forty  nights  he  stayed  upon  the 
mountain  top.  And  God  revealed  to  him  many  laws. 
Some  of  them  are  in  the  Ten  Commandments  which 
we  all  know.  These  Ten  Commandments  he  is  said 
to  have  written  out  on  tablets  of  stone.  In  later  ages 
men  said  God  wrote  them.  Moses  was  so  obedient  to 
God's  will  that  they  'felt  it  was  as  though  he  were 
simply  God's  pen  and  God  were  writing  through  his 
hand. 

When  Moses  came  down  from  the  mountain  top 
after  his  long  absence,  the  stone  tablets  in  his  hands, 
he  saw  a  sad  sight.  The  Hebrews,  because  he  had  been 
gone  a  little  longer  than  they  had  expected,  had  for- 
gotten all  about  him,  and  how  through  him  God  had 
saved  them  from  the  Egyptians.  At  their  request 
Aaron  had  made  for  them  a  calf  out  of  their  gold 
earrings  and  the  people  were  dancing  around  it,  and 
singing  to  it,  and  worshipping  it  as  though  it  were 
a  god. 

Moses  was  so  rilled  with  grief  at  their  faithlessness, 
that  he  threw  the  tablets  of  stone  on  the  ground  and 
broke  them  in  pieces.  Then  he  punished  the  Hebrews 
very  severely  for  their  great  sin. 

When  he  had  made  them  understand  how  wicked  a 
thing  it  was  to  forget  the  one  true  God  and  worship 
an  idol  he  went  back  up  the  mountain  to  pray.  He 
wanted  to  ask  God  to  forgive  these  ignorant  children 
and  to  give  him,  Moses,  the  knowledge  and  power  to 
teach  them.  The  more  foolishly  the  people  behaved 


Moses,  the  Lawgiver  of  Israel  79 

the  more  Moses  needed  God's  help  to  govern  and 
guide  them.  And  he  felt  God's  presence  most  clearly 
there  in  the  peace  and  quiet  on  the  top  of  the  mountain. 

A  beautiful  story  is  told  us  of  an  experience  he  had 
at  this  time.  Moses  asked  that  God  should  go  with  him 
and  with  his  people.  And  he  prayed  to  God  and  said, 
"I  beseech  thee,  show  me  thy  glory."  And  the  voice 
of  God  replied,  as  when  it  came  from  the  spiritual 
fire  of  the  burning  bush,  "I  will  make  all  my  goodness 
pass  before  thee;  thou  canst  not  see  my  face:  for  there 
shall  no  man  see  me,  and  live."  And  the  record  says 
that  the  voice  of  God  told  Moses  that  he  should  be 
sheltered  in  a  cleft  of  a  rock  with  his  eyes  hid  until 
God  had  passed  by.  Then  he  should  see  only  so  much 
of  the  divine  glory  as  he  could  bear.  God's  presence 
is  a  light  so  marvelous  in  its  purity  and  glory,  that 
even  a  holy  man  like  Moses  could  not  endure  its  full 
splendor. 

After  this,  Moses  re-wrote  the  Ten  Commandments, 
on  two  new  tablets  of  stone  and  came  down  the  moun- 
tain with  them.  His  communion  with  God  had  been 
so  wonderful,  he  had  drawn  so  close  to  the  divine 
presence,  that  his  face  shone,  the  story  says,  so  that 
the  people  could  not  bear  to  look  at  him.  They 
did  not  understand  and  were  afraid  to  come  nigh 
him.  So  Moses  put  a  veil  over  his  face  lest  the 
people  be  frightened  at  the  divine  light.  Whenever 
he  went  into  the  tent,  called  the  tent  of  meeting,  to 
pray  and  speak  with  God,  he  took  off  the  veil.  When 
he  went  back  among  the  people  he  put  it  on. 

Again  and  again  God  appeared  to  him  in  beautiful 
visions,  often,  by  day,  as  a  pillar  of  cloud,  and  at  night 
as  a  pillar  of  fire,  to  point  to  him  the  way  he  should  go 
and  the  things  he  should  do  for  the  people.  And 
whenever  the  vision  of  God's  presence  came  to  him  his 
face  shone  with  the  same  wonderful  light. 


80          Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

III 

Although  the  Hebrews  stayed  at  Mount  Sinai  for 
a  time,  it  was  but  a  camping  place  where  they  rested 
and  waited  while  God  gave  Moses  the  laws  which 
they  were  to  follow.  As  soon  as  that  was  accom- 
plished they  started  off  again  for  the  land  which  God 
had  promised  them. 

God  would  give  them  this  land  on  one  condition: 
they  must  obey  his  commandments  as  they  were 
written  on  the  tablets  of  stone,  and  they  must  go  forth 
with  courage  and  faith  and  conquer  the  new  country. 
This  agreement  was  called  the  Covenant.  If  men 
loved  and  obeyed  him,  God  would  bless  and  prosper 
them  and  make  them  happy  and  great  through  all 
the  ages. 

To  remind  themselves  of  this  agreement  they  put 
the  tablets  of  stone  containing  the  Ten  Command- 
ments in  a  box  which  they  called  the  Ark  of  the  Cove- 
nant. This  they  carried  with  them  wherever  they 
went. 

Inspired  by  the  thought  of  God's  Covenant  and  by 
the  sight  of  their  Ark  the  Hebrews  followed  Moses  over 
the  desert,  up  to  the  gates  of  Palestine,  the  Land  of 
Canaan.  There  they  camped  while  Moses  sent  twelve 
men  to  spy  out  the  land  and  come  back  and  report  what 
it  was  like,  —  whether  the  people  that  dwelt  therein 
were  strong  or  weak,  few  or  many,  whether  they  dwelt 
in  cities  or  tents,  and  what  the  fruit  of  the  country  was 
like.  Then  they  would  know  whether  they  wanted  to 
try  to  conquer  the  Land  of  Canaan. 

These  spies  went  forth  to  the  north,  through  the  hill 
country.  When  they  came  back  the  people  gathered 
together  and  listened  eagerly  to  then*  report.  They 
all  came  before  Moses,  two  of  the  spies  carrying  between 
them  a  branch  on  which  was  hung  a  huge,  luscious  clus- 


Moses,  the  Lawgiver  of  Israel  81 

ter  of  grapes.  "We  came  unto  the  land"  they  said  to 
Moses,  "whither  thou  sentest  us,  and  surely  it  floweth 
with  milk  and  honey;  and  this  is  the  fruit  of  it.  Never- 
theless the  people  be  strong  that  dwell  in  the  land, 
and  the  cities  are  walled,  and  very  great:  .  .  .  and 
all  the  people  that  we  saw  in  it  are  men  of  great  stature. 
And  there  we  saw  the  giants,  the  sons  of  Anak  .  .  .  and 
we  were  in  our  own  sight  as  grasshoppers,  and  so  we 
were  in  then*  sight." 

No  sooner  had  the  spies  spoken  these  words  than  a 
great  confusion  fell  upon  the  poor  Hebrews.  They 
were  dreadfully  frightened.  Their  courage  left  them 
completely.  They  forgot  all  about  how  God  had 
spoken  to  Moses  and  promised  to  help  them.  They 
lifted  up  their  voice  and  cried;  and  the  people  wept 
that  night.  And  all  the  children  of  Israel  murmured 
against  Moses,  and  cried,  "Would  God  that  we  had  died 
in  the  land  of  Egypt!  or  would  God  we  had  died  in  this 
wilderness!" 

When  they  saw  the  peoples'  despair,  Moses  and  Aaron 
fell  on  their  faces  before  all  the  assembly  of  the  con- 
gregation of  the  children  of  Israel  and  plead  with 
them  not  to  turn  away  from  God  and  his  promise. 
Two  of  the  spies,  Joshua  and  Caleb,  joined  Moses  and 
Aaron  and  tried  to  stop  the  panic  of  fear  and  rebellion. 
"Rebel  not  ye  against  the  Lord,"  they  cried,  "neither 
fear  ye  the  people  of  the  land;  for  they  are  as  bread 
for  us:  their  defense  is  departed  from  them,  and  the 
Lord  is  with  us:  fear  them  not."  But  all  the  Hebrews 
bade  stone  them  with  stones. 

Thus  did  the  glorious  opportunity  of  entering  the 
Promised  Land  pass  by.  The  Hebrews  were  such 
cowards  they  dared  not  trust  to  God,  who  had  led  them 
out  of  the  land  of  Egypt. 

So  they  turned  away  in  fear  and  went  back  into 
"the  waste-howling  wilderness." 


82         Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

For  forty  years  more  they  wandered  in  the  desert, 
while  Moses,  with  the  help  of  God,  trained  up  the  little 
children  into  courageous  men  and  women.  Their 
parents,  who  had  refused  to  enter  Canaan,  died  there 
in  the  wilderness.  Moses  himself  was  now  very  old. 
But  the  boys  and  girls  whom  he  had  so  patiently 
taught  all  these  years  were  fully  grown.  They  believed 
in  God.  They  knew  that  God  was  with  them  and 
that  nothing  could  stand  against  them.  And,  believing 
in  God,  they  were  not  afraid  to  face  the  fortified  cities 
and  strong  warriors  of  the  land  of  Canaan. 

So  when  Moses  laid  his  hands  upon  Joshua  and 
appointed  him  to  be  his  successor,  the  Hebrews  were 
ready  to  follow  Joshua  wherever  he  led  them.  And 
God  blessed  Joshua  with  a  portion  of  the  power  which 
had  sustained  Moses.  And  Joshua  became  one  of  the 
great  captains  and  leaders  of  Israel. 

Moses  was  now  a  very  old  man  indeed.  Yet  so  full 
was  he  of  divine  energy  that  his  eye  was  not  dim  nor 
his  natural  force  abated.  His  work  was  ended,  for 
Joshua  was  to  lead  the  Hebrews  into  the  land  of 
Canaan. 

One  day  Moses  left  the  Hebrews'  camp  and  with  a 
vigorous  step  started  off  to  climb  Mount  Nebo,  a  high 
peak  overlooking  the  Promised  Land.  On  the  moun- 
tain top  God  showed  him  the  beautiful  valleys  and  hills 
of  Canaan,  from  the  south  to  the  north,  from  the 
desert  to  the  western  sea.  And  God  said  unto  Moses: 
"This  is  the  land  which  I  sware  unto  Abraham,  unto 
Isaac,  and  unto  Jacob,  saying,  I  will  give  it  to  thy  seed. 
Now  I  have  caused  thee  to  see  it  with  thine  eyes  but 
thou  shalt  not  go  over  thither." 

So  Moses  died  there  in  the  land  of  Moab.  His 
body  disappeared  from  human  view,  but  his  spirit  and 
his  teachings,  his  laws  and  his  example,  lived  after  him 
and  for  centuries  trained  the  Hebrew  race. 


Moses,  the  Lawgiver  of  Israel  83 

Even  today,  thirty-three  hundred  years  after  his 
death,  millions  of  Jews  look  to  Moses  as  their  teacher 
and  inspirer.  He  is  then:  glorified  prophet.  They 
tell  again  and  again  the  story  of  how  he  led  their 
ancestors  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt,  gave  them  their 
laws,  taught  them  to  worship  God,  and  made  them 
a  nation. 


DAVID,  THE  MINSTREL  KING 


CHAPTER  VIII 
DAVID,   THE  MINSTREL  KING 

MORE  than  four  hundred  years  had  now  passed. 
The  Hebrews  had  fought  bravely.  They  had  tried 
to  obey  God.  They  had  won  all  the  land  "from  the 
wilderness  to  the  going  down  of  the  sun."  There 
remained  but  one  strong  enemy,  the  Philistines,  a 
tribe  which  lived  in  the  west. 

God  sent  a  priest  to  guide  them,  a  wise  and  good 
man  named  Samuel.  But  after  a  while  the  people 
decided  they  wanted  a  king  as  well  as  a  priest.  And 
they  came  to  Samuel  and  asked  him  to  choose  some- 
one for  them.  So  Samuel  anointed  a  young  man 
named  Saul  to  be  king  over  the  Israelites. 

Saul  made  a  very  good  king  for  a  while.  Then  he 
began  to  disobey  God's  commandments.  He  wanted 
wealth,  and  spoil  in  the  battles,  and  "he  feared  the 
people  and  obeyed  their  voice"  rather  than  the  voice 
of  God.  So  God  told  Samuel  to  choose  another  king, 
one  who  would  obey  him.  "Fill  thy  horn  with  oil," 
the  divine  voice  said  to  him,  "and  go.  I  will  send 
thee  to  Jesse,  the  Bethlehemite :  for  I  have  provided 
me  a  king  among  his  sons." 

When  Samuel  reached  Bethlehem  he  sent  an  invita- 
tion to  Jesse  and  his  sons  to  come  and  join  him  in 
sacrificing  an  animal  to  the  Lord.  That  was  the  way 
of  worshipping  in  those  days.  When  they  arrived 
he  had  the  young  men,  one  at  a  time,  come  and  stand 
before  him. 

When  the  eldest  stepped  forward  he  looked  so 
handsome  and  tall  that  Samuel  said  to  himself,  "Surely 


92          Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

this  is  the  one  God  has  chosen."  But  the  divine 
voice  spoke  in  his  mind,  saying,  "Look  not  on  his 
countenance,  nor  the  height  of  his  stature.  The 
Lord  seeth  not  as  man  seeth;  for  man  looketh  on 
the  outward  appearance,  but  the  Lord  looketh  on 
the  heart."  Samuel  called  to  him  each  one  of  the 
seven  sons  of  Jesse,  but  the  heavenly  voice  within  him 
was  silent,  choosing  no  one  of  them. 

At  last  he  said  to  Jesse,  "Are  here  all  thy  children? 
And  Jesse  answered,  There  remaineth  yet  the  young- 
est, and  behold,  he  keepeth  the  sheep.  And  Samuel 
said  to  Jesse,  Send  and  fetch  him:  for  we  will  not 
sit  down  till  he  come  hither.  And  he  sent,  and 
brought  him  in.  Now  he  was  ruddy,  and  withal  of 
a  beautiful  countenance,  and  goodly  to  look  upon. 
And  the  Lord  said,  Arise,  anoint  him:  for  this  is  he. 
Then  Samuel  took  the  horn  of  oil,  and  anointed  him 
in  the  midst  of  his  brethren.  And  the  spirit  of  the 
Lord  came  upon  David  from  that  day  forward." 

What  did  the  shepherd  boy  do  when  he  knew 
he  was  to  be  a  king?  He  just  went  back  to  his  sheep, 
to  "the  leaping  from  rock  up  to  rock,"  to  the  fight 
with  the  lion  and  the  bear,  to  the  humble  meal  of 
dates.  He  was  not  proud;  he  was  willing  to  do  the 
lowliest  task.  That  was  one  reason  why  God  poured 
his  wonderful  spirit  into  David,  for  "he  that  humbleth 
himself  shall  be  exalted." 

Shortly  after  this  the  Philistines  gathered  all  their 
armies  together  to  make  a  great  attack  upon  the 
Israelites.  And  David's  three  older  brothers  went 
to  join  Saul's  army.  Their  father  became  anxious  for 
news  from  them.  So  one  day  he  went  out  and  found 
David  with  his  sheep,  and  told  him  to  go  to  the 
Hebrews'  camp  with  some  bread  and  some  cheese 
for  his  brothers,  and  come  back  and  tell  him  how  they 
fared. 


David,  the  Minstrel  King  93 

So  "  David  rose  up  early  in  the  morning,  and  left 
the  sheep  with  a  keeper,  and  went,  as  Jesse  had  com- 
manded him." 

We  all  know  the  story  of  how  he  ran  down  into  the 
valley  and  slew  Goliath,  the  giant,  with  his  sling  and 
the  stones  from  the  brook.  We  also  know  how  the 
Israelites  rushed  down,  after  David's  splendid  deed, 
and  won  a  great  victory. 

After  the  battle  was  over,  with  much  rejoicing  they 
brought  the  hero  of  the  hour,  the  shepherd  boy,  to 
the  king.  Saul  was  so  grateful  to  David  for  winning 
this  victory  over  the  Philistines  that  he  took  him 
to  live  in  his  household,  and  gave  him  his  daughter, 
Michal,  to  be  his  wife. 

Soon  all  Israel  and  Judah  loved  David.  A  beautiful 
friendship  also  sprang  up  between  him  and  Jonathan, 
Saul's  son.  And  Jonathan  loved  him  as  his  own 
soul. 

Now  Saul,  though  a  king,  was  not  happy.  Some- 
tunes  he  would  sit  for  hours,  dejected  and  melancholy, 
refusing  to  speak  to  anyone.  The  reason  was  he  had 
disobeyed  God.  Those  who  refuse  to  do  what  they 
know  is  God's  will  are  always  unhappy. 

But  David  was  full  of  joy.  Furthermore  he  could 
play  the  harp  and  compose  songs.  It  was  said  he 
played  so  beautifully  that  the  mountains  and  hills 
joined  with  him  when  he  sang  his  praises  to  God.  So 
when  Saul  was  melancholy  the  people  would  send 
for  David  to  come  and  play  to  him  on  his  harp  and 
sing  his  lovely  songs  and  try  to  cheer  him.  And 
usually,  after  listening  to  him,  Saul  would  feel  better. 

Most  of  the  time,  however,  David  was  away  fighting 
battles  against  the  enemies  of  Israel.  He  had  become 
a  strong  warrior  and  because  he  won  many  victories 
for  the  Israelites,  Saul  was  pleased  with  him. 

But  one  day  when  he  and  David  came  back  from 


94          Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

a  battle  the  women  came  out  of  the  cities  of  Israel  to 
meet  King  Saul,  and  as  they  played  upon  their  timbrels 
and  other  instruments  of  music  they  sang,.' 'Saul  has 
slam  his  thousands  and  David  his  ten  thousands." 
And  Saul,  listening  to  these  words,  was  jealous  of 
David  and  hated  him.  He  did  not  want  the  women 
to  say  that  David  was  greater  than  he.  And  as  they 
passed  through  the  streets  of  the  cities  and  Saul  saw 
how  the  people  loved  David,  he  grew  angrier  and 
angrier. 

The  next  day  one  of  his  ugly  moods  was  upon  him, 
and  he  sat  in  his  room  lonely  and  miserable  with  his 
wicked  thoughts.  When  David  came  in,  as  usual, 
to  sing  to  hun  he  was  not  cheered,  but  threw  his  spear 
at  David  as  he  stood  playing  on  his  harp.  David 
jumped  aside,  and  the  spear  stuck  in  the  wall  behind 
him. 

After  a  while  Saul  tried  again  to  kill  David  by  hurling 
his  spear  at  him.  But  again  David  was  too  quick 
for  him.  Then  he  sent -some  men,  one  night,  to  kill 
David  in  his  house.  Michal,  David's  wife,  let  him 
down  from  one  of  the  windows  by  a  rope,  and  then 
hurried  and  dressed  up  an  image  and  laid  it  in  his  bed 
and  told  the  king's  messengers  that  David  was  ill. 
They  carried  this  word  to  Saul  who  ordered  them  to 
return  and  bring  David,  bed  and  all.  But  when  they 
went  into  David's  room  to  get  him  there  was  only  the 
dressed-up  image  in  the  bed. 

"David  fled,  and  escaped,  and  came  to  Samuel  to 
Ramah,  and  told  him  all  that  Saul  had  done  to  him. 
And  he  and  Samuel  went  and  dwelt  in  Naioth.  And 
it  was  told  Saul,  saying,  Behold,  David  is  at  Naioth 
in  Ramah.  And  Saul  sent  messengers  to  take  David." 

Then  for  a  time  Saul  seemed  to  relent,  and  David 
was  sore  perplexed  as  to  what  Saul  really  intended  to 
do,  to  love  him  or  to  kill  him.  So  he  came  to  his 


David,  the  Minstrel  King  95 

beloved  friend,  Jonathan,  Saul's  son,  for  counsel. 
Jonathan  could  discover  whether  it  would  be  safe 
for  David  to  remain  near  the  king.  And  David  and 
Jonathan  made  a  covenant  of  eternal  friendship.  And 
David  said  to  Jonathan,  "  Behold,  tomorrow  is  the 
new  moon,  and  I  should  not  fail  to  sit  with  the  king  at 
meat.  But  let  me  go,  that  I  may  hide  myself  in  the 
field  unto  the  third  day  at  even.  If  thy  father  miss 
me  at  all,  then  say,  David  earnestly  asked  leave  of  me 
that  he  might  run  to  Bethlehem  his  city;  for  it  is 
the  yearly  sacrifice  there  for  all  the  family.  If  he  say, 
It  is  well,  thy  servant  shall  have  peace.  But  if  he  be 
wroth,  then  know  that  evil  is  determined  by  him." 

They  made  an  agreement  that  David  should  hide 
in  a  cave  in  a  nearby  field,  and  after  Jonathan  had 
found  out  whether  his  father  really  loved  David  or 
not  he  should  come  back  to  the  field  and  tell  David. 
Jonathan  would  bring  a  boy  with  him,  and  a  bow 
and  arrows.  He  would  stand  off  and  pretend  to  shoot 
at  a  target.  Jonathan  said  to  David,  "If  I  say  unto 
the  lad,  Behold  the  arrows  are  on  this  side  of  thee; 
take  them  and  come,  for  there  is  peace  to  thee  and 
no  hurt,  as  the  Lord  liveth.  But  if  I  say  unto  the 
boy,  Behold  the  arrows  are  beyond  thee;  go  thy  way, 
for  the  Lord  hath  sent  thee  away.  And  as  touching 
the  matter  which  thou  and  I  have  spoken  of,  behold, 
the  Lord  is  between  thee  and  me  forever." 

David  then  ran  down  to  Bethlehem  to  return  on 
the  third  day  after.  And  Jonathan  went  away  to  the 
king.  He  soon  discovered,  when  he  talked  with  Saul, 
that  the  king  hated  David  and  was  determined  to  kill 
him.  So,  at  the  appointed  tune,  with  a  heavy  heart, 
he  hurried  to  the  field  where  David  was  hiding  in  the 
cave.  And  a  little  lad  was  with  him. 

"And  he  said  unto  his  lad,  Run,  find  now  the  arrows 
which  I  shoot.  And  as  the  lad  ran,  he  shot  an  arrow 


96         Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

beyond  him.  And  when  the  lad  was  come  to  the  place 
of  the  arrow  which  Jonathan  had  shot,  Jonathan 
cried  after  the  lad,  and  said,  Is  not  the  arrow  beyond 
thee?  And  Jonathan  cried  after  the  lad,  Make  speed, 
haste,  stay  not.  And  Jonathan's  lad  gathered  up 
the  arrows,  and  came  to  his  master.  But  the  lad 
knew  not  anything.  Only  Jonathan  and  David  knew 
the  matter.  And  Jonathan  gave  his  weapons  unto 
his  lad,  and  said  unto  him,  Go,  carry  them  to  the  city. 
And  as  soon  as  the  lad  was  gone  David  arose  out  of 
a  place  toward  the  south,  and  fell  on  his  face  to  the 
ground,  and  bowed  himself  three  times.  And  they 
kissed  one  another,  and  wept  one  with  another.  And 
Jonathan  said  to  David,  Go  in  peace,  forasmuch  as 
we  have  sworn  both  of  us  in  the  name  of  the  Lord, 
saying,  The  Lord  shall  be  between  me  and  thee,  and 
between  my  children  and  thy  children,  forever.  And 
he  arose  and  departed;  and  Jonathan  went  into  the 
city." 

II 

From  place  to  place  David  now  fled,  with  Saul  in 
pursuit.  At  last  he  took  refuge  in  the  mountains. 
Other  men  who  were  in  trouble  of  some  sort  came  and 
joined  him  until  there  were  four  hundred  of  them. 

Day  and  night  Saul  and  his  soldiers  hunted  for  David 
and  drove  him  from  mountain  to  mountain.  Some- 
times they  would  be  almost  upon  him.  But  David 
always  escaped. 

Saul's  heart  was  full  of  hatred,  for  he  had  turned 
away  from  God.  But  David's  heart  was  aglow  with 
love,  and  the  spirit  of  the  Lord  filled  him  more  and 
more. 

One  day  Saul,  hearing  that  David  was  at  a  certain 
place,  took  three  thousand  men  "and  went  to  seek 
David  and  his  men  upon  the  rocks  of  the  wild  goats." 


David,  the  Minstrel  King  97 

And  as  he  went  he  entered  a  huge  cave  in  the  hillside. 
Now  it  happened  that  David  and  his  band  were  hiding 
in  the  innermost  parts  of  the  cave,  and  as  Saul  entered 
they  whispered  to  David  to  kill  him.  But  David 
simply  stole  up  in  the  darkness  of  the  cave  and  cut  off 
the  skirt  of  Saul's  robe.  Then  when  Saul  had  left 
the  cave  and  descended  the  hill  he  went  out  and  called 
down  to  him:  " Behold,  this  day  thine  eyes  have  seen 
how  that  the  Lord  had  delivered  thee  this  day  into 
mine  hand  in  the  cave:  and  some  one  bade  me  kill 
thee:  but  mine  eye  spared  thee;  and  I  said,  I  will 
not  put  forth  mine  hand  against  my  lord;  for  he  is 
the  Lord's  anointed.  Moreover,  my  father,  see,  yea, 
see  the  skirt  of  thy  robe  in  my  hand :  for  in  that  I  cut 
off  the  skirt  of  thy  robe,  and  killed  thee  not,  know 
thou  and  see  that  there  is  neither  evil  nor  transgres- 
sion in  my  hand,  and  I  have  not  sinned  against  thee; 
yet  thou  huntest  my  soul  to  take  it." 

Then  Saul  "  lifted  up  his  voice  and  wept.  And  he 
said  to  David,  Thou  art  more  righteous  than  I,  for 
thou  hast  rewarded  me  good,  whereas  I  have  rewarded 
thee  evil.  And  Saul  went  home." 

Soon  again,  however,  he  was  in  pursuit  of  David, 
longing  in  his  heart  to  kill  him.  And  a  second  time 
David  had  a  chance  to  slay  Saul  and  bring  to  an  end 
all  these  persecutions  and  wanderings;  for  he  was 
hunted  through  the  mountains  as  though  he  had  been 
a  wild  animal. 

Saul  and  his  men  had  followed  him  out  into  the 
wilderness  and  camped  at  the  foot  of  the  very  moun- 
tain where  David  was  hiding.  One  night,  with  his 
friend  A-bi'shai,  David  slipped  down  into  Saul's  camp 
to  see  what  was  happening.  They  found  the  whole 
camp  fast  asleep,  and  Saul  lay  sleeping,  and  his  spear 
stuck  in  the  ground  at  his  pillow.  Abishai  whispered 
to  David  for  permission  to  kill  him.  But  David 


98         Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

replied,  "Destroy  him  not,  for  who  can  stretch  forth 
his  hand  against  the  Lord's  anointed,  and  be  guiltless?  " 
They  took  Saul's  spear,  and  a  jug  of  water  which  was 
beside  him,  and  stole  away.  And  no  one  waked. 

When  they  had  reached  the  top  of  a  neighboring 
mountain  David  shouted  back  to  Saul  and  his  soldiers 
and  asked  them  where  was  the  king's  spear.  They 
all  waked  up  and  Saul,  recognizing  David's  voice, 
realized  that  again  his  life  had  been  spared  when  he 
might  so  easily  have  been  killed.  His  heart  softened 
toward  David  and  he  cried,  "I  have  sinned:  return, 
my  son  David,  for  I  will  no  more  do  thee  harm,  because 
my  life  was  precious  in  thine  eyes  this  day."  But 
David  knew  he  could  not  trust  the  king  and  he  fled 
away. 

One  day  David  was  thirsty  and  weary.  The  bleak 
mountains  in  which  he  sought  refuge  from  Saul  were 
very  dry  and  hot,  and  hi  his  distress  he  exclaimed, 
"Oh,  that  one  would  give  me  to  drink  of  the  well  of 
Bethlehem  which  is  by  the  gate!"  This  was  the 
well  hi  his  home  town  which  he  loved. 

His  followers  loved  him  so  deeply  that  his  slightest 
wish  was  to  them  as  a  command,  and  instantly  three 
strong  soldiers  slipped  away  and  started  for  this  well. 
The  Philistines  were  between  them  and  Bethlehem; 
to  reach  the  well  they  must  go  right  through  the 
enemy's  camp.  But  David  wanted  a  drink  from  that 
especial  well  and  his  men  would  get  it  for  him. 

So  they  brake  through  the  hosts  of  the  Philistines, 
drew  water  out  of  the  well  of  Bethlehem,  and  brought 
it  back. 

David  was  amazed  and  rejoiced  at  then*  courage 
and  love.  But  he  would  not  drink  the  water  which 
his  friends  had  brought  at  the  risk  of  their  lives.  In- 
stead he  poured  it  out  upon  the  ground  as  an  offering 
unto  God  who  could  make  men  so  heroic. 


David,  the  Minstrel  King  99 

After  a  while  the  Philistines  gathered  together  all 
their  armies  for  a  great  attack  upon  Israel.  A  battle 
was  fought  in  which  the  Israelites  were  completely 
defeated  and  fled  before  the  enemy.  Jonathan  and 
his  two  brothers  were  killed,  and  Saul  was  so  badly 
wounded  that  he  could  not  get  away.  Rather  than 
be  captured  by  the  Philistines  he  fell  upon  his  sword 
and  died  on  the  battlefield. 

When  they  brought  the  news  to  David  he  was  filled 
with  sorrow  and  mourned  for  Saul  and  Jonathan  as 
for  his  dearest  friends,  saying: 

"Thy  glory,  O  Israel,  is  slain  upon  thy  high  places! 
How  are  the  mighty  fallen! 

Tell  it  not  in  Gath, 

Publish  it  not  in  the  streets  of  Ashkelon. 
The  bow  of  Jonathan  turned  not  back, 
And  the  sword  of  Saul  returned  not  empty. 
Saul  and  Jonathan  were  lovely  and  pleasant  in 

their  lives, 

And  in  their  death  they  were  not  divided: 
They  were  swifter  than  eagles, 
They  were  stronger  than  lions. 
Ye  daughters  of  Israel,  weep  over  Saul. 
How  are  the  mighty  fallen  in  the  midst  of  the 

battle! 

Jonathan  is  slain  upon  thy  high  places. 
I  am  distressed  for  thee,  my  brother  Jonathan: 
Very  pleasant  hast  thou  been  unto  me: 
Thy  love  to  me  was  wonderful, 

Passing  the  love  of  women. 
How  are  the  mighty  fallen, 
And  the  weapons  of  war  perished!" 

David  was  now  crowned  king  of  Israel.  He  was 
thirty  years  old  when  he  began  to  reign.  It  was  still 


100        Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

several  years,  however,  before  he  had  any  peace,  for 
Ishbosheth,  a  son  of  Saul  who  had  survived  the 
battle,  wanted  to  be  king,  and  he  made  war  upon 
David.  But  David  was  victorious  and  "waxed 
greater  and  greater,  for  the  Lord,  the  God  of  hosts, 
was  with  hun." 

David  brought  together  the  different  tribes  of 
Israel  and  made  them  into  one  strong  kingdom.  When 
they  did  not  have  to  fight  so  much  the  men  could 
build  up  their  cities  and  take  care  of  their  homes. 
More  and  more  was  David  trusted  and  "  whatsoever 
the  king  did  pleased  all  the  people."  For  forty  years 
he  ruled  his  country  and  brought  to  Israel  a  time 
of  prosperity  and  peace  such  as  had  never  been 
known. 

In  his  old  age  there  came  to  him  a  great  sorrow. 
His  son  Absalom  tried  to  overthrow  his  father  in 
order  that  he  might  become  king.  Absalom  was  very 
handsome  and  had  beautiful,  long  hair.  But  in 
character  he  was  weak  and  ignoble.  His  hair,  of 
which  he  was  very  vain>  was  the  cause  of  his  death. 
One  day,  after  a  battle  with  the  king's  army,  Absalom 
was  riding  through  a  forest,  trying  to  get  away,  and 
his  long  hair  caught  in  the  low-hanging  limb  of  a  great 
oak  tree.  The  mule  he  was  riding  ran  on  and  left 
him  hanging  from  the  tree.  Soon  one  of  the  king's 
soldiers  came  up,  and  seeing  him  hanging  thus,  quickly 
killed  him. 

David's  heart  was  full  of  love  for  Absalom,  no 
matter  how  badly  he  behaved,  and  when  they  brought 
him  the  news  of  his  son's  death  he  "went  up  to  the 
chamber  over  the  gate  and  wept,"  crying,  "O  my  son 
Absalom,  my  son,  my  son  Absalom!  would  God  I  had 
died  for  thee,  O  Absalom,  my  son,  my  son!" 

Toward  the  end  of  his  life  the  noble  king  wished  to 
build  a  temple  where  the  Ark  of  the  Covenant  could 


David,  the  Minstrel  King  101 

be  kept  and  the  people  could  worship  God.  But  the 
divine  voice  told  him  he  had  better  leave  that  task 
for  his  son  Solomon  who  should  succeed  him. 

King  David  lived  in  savage  days.  But  because  he 
listened  to  God's  voice  and  tried  to  obey  him  God  gave 
him  power  to  bind  together  the  lawless  tribes  into  a 
great  nation.  His  kingdom  was  the  largest  which 
Israel  had  ever  known.  In  the  days  of  his  son,  Solo- 
mon, it  became  so  resplendent  and  so  famous  that 
kings  and  queens  came  from  afar  to  visit  its  capital 
and  the  wonderful  temple  Solomon  built.  David 
laid  the  foundation  of  this  kingdom  and  he  led  his 
people  toward  the  paths  of  righteousness  and  peace. 
In  after  years  when  great  troubles  came  upon  the 
Hebrews  their  dearest  hope  was  that  God  might  send 
them  another  king  like  David. 


ELIJAH,  THE  MAN  OF  FIRE 


CHAPTER  IX 
ELIJAH,   THE  MAN  OF  FIRE 


IN  the  days  of  David  and  Solomon  the  Israelites 
became  a  powerful  nation.  So  long  as  they  kept  the 
Ten  Commandments  they  were  strong.  When  they 
broke  them  they  were  weak.  In  the  days  of  David 
and  Solomon  they  kept  them  pretty  well.  But  in 
the  days  which  followed  they  broke  them  most  of  the 
time.  Hence  they  became  weak  and  wicked. 

Under  King  Ahab  and  his  cruel  wife,  Jezebel,  they 
forgot  all  about  Moses  and  the  true  God.  Instead 
they  worshipped  false  deities  called  Ba'al-im.  At  last 
God  in  his  pity  sent  them  a  messenger  named  Elijah. 

The  first  we  hear  of  Elijah  was  in  the  days  of  a 
terrible  drought.  Everyone  in  Palestine  was  suffering 
for  water.  There  was  no  rain  for  the  crops.  Even  the 
streams  were  drying  up  and  there  was  no  water  for 
the  cattle.  Elijah,  as  he  wandered  from  place  to 
place  in  the  desert,  praying  to  God,  also  found  difficulty 
in  getting  water  and  food.  But  God  sustained  him, 
we  are  told,  in  wonderful  ways.  He  found  a  brook, 
called  Cherith  (Ke'rith),  by  whose  bank  he  stayed. 
There,  the  story  tells  us,  "the  ravens  brought  him 
bread  and  flesh  in  the  morning,  and  bread  and  flesh 
in  the  evening;  and  he  drank  of  the  brook.  And  it 
came  to  pass  after  a  while  that  the  brook  dried  up, 
because  there  had  been  no  rain  in  the  land. 

"And  the  word  of  the  Lord  came  unto  him,  saying, 
Arise,  get  thee  to  Zar'e-phath,  which  belongeth  to 


106        Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

Zidon,  and  dwell  there:  behold,  I  have  commanded 
a  widow  woman  there  to  sustain  thee. 

"  So  he  arose  and  went  to  Zarephath.  And  when  he 
came  to  the  gate  of  the  city,  behold  the  widow  was 
there  gathering  sticks.  And  he  called  to  her,  and  said, 
Fetch  me,  I  pray  thee,  a  little  water  in  a  vessel,  that 
I  may  drink.  And  as  she  was  going  to  fetch  it,  he 
called  to  her  and  said,  Bring  me,  I  pray  thee,  a  morsel 
of  bread  in  thine  hand.  And  she  said,  As  the  Lord 
thy  God  liveth,  I  have  not  a  cake,  but  an  handful 
of  meal  in  a  barrel,  and  a  little  oil  in  a  cruse;  and, 
behold,  I  am  gathering  two  sticks,  that  I  may  go  in 
and  dress  it  for  me  and  my  son,  that  we  may  eat  it 
and  die. 

"And  Elijah  said  unto  her,  Fear  not;  go  and  do  as 
thou  hast  said:  but  make  me  thereof  a  little  cake 
first,  and  bring  it  unto  me,  and  after  make  for  thee 
and  for  thy  son.  For  thus  saith  the  Lord  God  of 
Israel,  The  barrel  of  meal  shall  not  waste,  neither 
shall  the  cruse  of  oil  fail,  until  the  day  that  the  Lord 
sendeth  rain  upon  the  earth. 

"And  she  went  and  did  according  to  the  saying  of 
Elijah;  and  she,  and  he,  and  her  house,  did  eat  many 
days.  And  the  barrel  of  meal  wasted  not,  neither 
did  the  cruse  of  oil  fail,  according  to  the  word  of  the 
Lord,  which  he  spake  by  Elijah." 

The  famine  and  drought  in  Palestine  had  lasted  so 
long  that  the  people  were  in  a  desperate  plight.  King 
Ahab  sent  his  servant,  0-ba-di'ah,  to  search  the 
country  in  the  hope  that  there  might  be  found  some 
stream  which  had  not  dried  up.  For  unless  water  and 
grass  could  be  had  the  king's  horses  would  die. 

As  Obadiah  went  along  he  suddenly  met  Elijah. 
And  Obadiah  fell  on  his  face,  and  said,  "Art  thou  my 
lord  Elijah?"  And  Elijah  answered,  "I  am.  Go 
tell  thy  lord  the  king,  Elijah  is  here."  Obadiah  did 


Elijah,  the  Man  of  Fire  107 

not  want  to  do  this,  for  Jezebel  had  had  all  the  prophets 
in  Israel  killed;  and  Obadiah  knew  she  was  hunting 
for  Elijah.  But  Elijah,  confident  that  God  would 
protect  him,  commanded  him  to  go.  Elijah  was  the 
messenger  of  the  King  of  all  kings,  and  the  Lord  of 
all  lords  and  so  he  could  command  even  King  Ahab 
to  come  to  him. 

When  Ahab  arrived  at  the  place  where  Elijah  was 
waiting  for  him,  Elijah  straightway  told  him  that  it 
was  because  of  his  worship  of  the  false  gods,  the  Baalim, 
and  his  neglect  of  God's  commandments  that  this 
great  trouble  had  come  upon  the  nation.  He  bade 
Ahab  summon  all  the  priests  of  Baal  to  the  top  of 
Mount  Carmel.  There  before  the  people  it  should 
be  decided  who  was  the  true  and  powerful  God:  the 
Baal  whom  Jezebel  and  her  priests  worshipped,  or 
the  God  of  Moses,  David,  and  Elijah.  The  test  should 
be  this:  each  party,  Elijah  on  the  one  hand,  the  priests 
of  Baal  on  the  other,  should  prepare  a  sacrifice.  Each 
should  offer  a  bullock.  The  priests  of  Jezebel  should 
sacrifice  then*  bullock  to  Baal;  Elijah  would  offer 
his  to  Jehovah.  They  would  put  no  fire  under  the 
sacrifices,  but  each  should  call  upon  the  name  of  his 
god  to  send  down  fire  from  heaven  to  burn  up  the 
sacrifice.  The  god  who  answered  by  sending  the 
fire,  he  should  be  God. 

All  the  people  agreed,  and  the  priests  of  Baal,  of 
whom  there  were  four  hundred  and  fifty,  met  Elijah 
on  the  summit  of  Mount  Carmel  for  the  contest. 
The  Old  Testament  thus  describes  the  dramatic  event: 

"And  Elijah  said  unto  the  prophets  of  Baal,  Choose 
you  one  bullock  for  yourselves,  and  dress  it  first;  for 
ye  are  many;  and  call  on  the  name  of  your  gods,  but 
put  no  fire  under  it.  And  they  took  the  bullock 
which  was  given  them,  and  they  dressed  it,  and  called 
on  the  name  of  Baal  from  morning  even  until  noon, 


108       Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

saying,  O  Baal,  hear  us.  But  there  was  no  voice, 
nor  any  that  answered.  And  they  leaped  upon  the 
altar  which  was  made. 

"And  it  came  to  pass  at  noon,  that  Elijah  mocked 
them,  and  said,  Cry  aloud:  for  he  is  a  god.  Either 
he  is  talking,  or  he  is  pursuing,  or  he  is  on  a  journey, 
or  peradventure  he  sleepeth,  and  must  be  awakened. 
And  they  cried  aloud,  and  cut  themselves  after  their 
manner  with  knives  and  lancets,  till  the  blood  gushed 
out  upon  them.  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  mid-day 
was  past,  until  the  tune  of  the  offering  of  the  evening 
sacrifice,  that  there  was  neither  voice,  nor  any  to 
answer,  nor  any  that  regarded. 

"And  Elijah  said  unto  all  the  people,  Come  near 
unto  me.  And  all  the  people  came  near  unto  him. 
And  he  repaired  the  altar  of  the  Lord  that  was  broken 
down.  And  Elijah  took  twelve  stones,  according  to 
the  number  of  tribes  of  the  sons  of  Jacob,  and  with 
the  stones  he  built  an  altar  in  the  name  of  the  Lord: 
and  he  made  a  trench  about  the  altar,  as  great  as 
would  contain  two  measures  of  seed.  And  he  put 
the  wood  in  order,  and  cut  the  bullock  in  pieces,  and 
laid  him  on  the  wood,  and  said,  Fill  four  barrels  with 
water,  and  pour  it  on  the  burnt  sacrifice,  and  on  the 
wood.  And  he  said,  Do  it  the  second  time.  And 
they  did  it  the  second  time.  And  he  said,  Do  it  the 
third  time.  And  they  did  it  the  third  time.  And 
the  water  ran  round  about  the  altar.  And  he  filled 
the  trench  also  with  water. 

"And  it  came  to  pass  at  the  time  of  the  offering  of 
the  evening  sacrifice,  that  Elijah,  the  prophet,  came 
near,  and  said,  Lord  God  of  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  of 
Israel,  let  it  be  known  this  day  that  thou  art  God  in 
Israel,  and  that  I  am  thy  servant,  and  that  I  have 
done  all  these  things  at  thy  word.  Hear  me,  O  Lord, 
hear  me,  that  this  people  may  know  that  thou  art 


Elijah,  the  Man  of  Fire  109 

the  Lord  God,  and  that  thou  hast  turned  their  heart 
back  again. 

"Then  the  fire  of  the  Lord  fell,  and  consumed  the 
burnt  sacrifice  and  the  wood,  and  the  stones,  and  the 
dust,  and  licked  up  the  water  that  was  hi  the  trench. 
And  when  all  the  people  saw  it,  they  fell  on  their  faces, 
and  they  said,  The  Lord,  he  is  God;  the  Lord,  he  is 
God." 

So  the  prophet  of  Jehovah  triumphed.  The  people 
were  ready  to  forsake  the  Baalim  and  worship  the  true 
God. 

As  Elijah  sat  on  Mount  Carmel  praying,  after  this 
wonderful  day,  his  servant  came  to  him  and  told  him 
that  a  little  cloud  the  size  of  a  man's  hand  was  rising 
from  the  Mediterranean.  With  his  quick  knowledge, 
Elijah  knew  that  the  rain  was  coming  and  the  long 
drought  was  over. 

Down  the  mountain  he  ran  and  bade  King  Ahab 
start  home  before  the  rain  came.  Ahab  instantly  set 
off  in  his  chariot.  And  the  strength  of  Elijah  was  so 
great  that  he  ran  before  the  king's  chariot  all  the  way 
to  Jezreel,  a  distance  of  fifteen  miles. 


II 

The  king  and  the  people  were  now  ready  to  acknowl- 
edge and  obey  Elijah  as  the  prophet  of  God.  But 
not  so  the  wicked  queen  Jezebel.  She  was  more  than 
ever  determined  to  kill  him  and  sent  a  messenger  to 
Elijah  with  the  word  that  on  the  next  day  she  would 
have  her  soldiers  put  him  to  death. 

To  save  his  life  Elijah  fled  into  the  wilderness.  But 
at  the  end  of  the  first  day's  journey  he  fell  down  under 
a  juniper  tree,  exhausted  and  discouraged,  and  prayed 
that  he  might  die.  After  all  his  efforts  it  seemed  he 
could  do  nothing  to  save  his  people. 


110        Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

"And  as  he  lay  and  slept  under  a  juniper  tree,"  the 
Old  Testament  story  continues,  "behold,  then  an  angel 
touched  him,  and  said  unto  him,  Arise  and  eat.  And 
he  looked,  and,  behold,  there  was  a  cake  baken  on  the 
coals,  and  a  cruse  of  water  at  his  head.  And  he  did 
eat  and  drink,  and  laid  him  down  again. 

"And  the  angel  of  the  Lord  came  again  the  second 
tune,  and  touched  him,  and  said,  Arise  and  eat;  be- 
cause the  journey  is  too  great  for  thee.  And  he  arose, 
and  did  eat  and  drink,  and  went  in  the  strength  of 
that  meat  forty  days  and  forty  nights  unto  Horeb 
the  mount  of  God." 

Elijah  went  into  a  cave  in  the  side  of  the  mountain 
and  sat  down  to  rest.  Suddenly,  as  he  sat  there 
he  heard  a  wonderful  voice,  which  said  to  him,  "What 
doest  thou  here,  Elijah?"  And  he  replied,  "I  have 
been  very  jealous  for  the  Lord,  the  God  of  hosts;  for 
the  children  of  Israel  have  forsaken  thy  covenant, 
and  have  slain  the  prophets  with  the  sword,  and  I, 
only  I  am  left,  and  they  seek  my  life  to  take  it  away." 

Then  the  divine  voice  bade  him  go  forth  and  stand 
upon  the  mount,  and  there  would  come  to  him  a 
message  from  the  presence  of  God. 

Elijah  did  as  he  was  directed,  and  waited  in  silence. 

"And  a  great  and  strong  wind  rent  the  mountains 
and  brake  in  pieces  the  rocks.  But  the  Lord  was  not 
in  the  wind.  And  after  the  wind  an  earthquake; 
but  the  Lord  was  not  in  the  earthquake.  And  after 
the  earthquake  a  fire;  but  the  Lord  was  not  in  the 
fire.  And  after  the  fire  a  still  small  voice.  And  it 
was  so  that  when  Elijah  heard  it  that  he  wrapped 
his  face  in  his  mantle,  and  went  out  and  stood  in  the 
entrance  of  the  cave." 

Then,  "with  a  sound  of  gentle  stillness"  came  the 
words  of  God,  clear  and  with  divine  authority  and 
told  him  not  to  be  afraid  or  discouraged  but  to  go 


Elijah,  the  Man  of  Fire  111 

back  all  the  hundreds  of  miles  he  had  travelled,  find 
Elisha  and  appoint  him  as  his  successor,  and  then 
anoint  Jehu  to  be  king  of  Israel. 

Elijah  knew  Jezebel  would  kill  him  if  she  could 
find  him;  but  he  must  obey.  We  may  imagine  him 
travelling  through  the  wilderness,  clad  in  his  rough 
shepherd's  mantle,  with  the  shepherd's  staff  in  his 
hand,  a  true  son  of  the  desert. 

When  he  reached  Palestine  he  went  at  once  to 
the  field  where  Elisha  was  plowing  with  twelve  yoke 
of  oxen  before  him,  and  he  with  the  twelfth.  He 
cast  his  mantle  upon  Elisha  as  a  sign  that  Elisha  was 
to  be  clothed  in  his  spirit  of  prophecy  and  become 
his  successor.  Whereupon  Elisha  left  his  oxen  and 
followed  Elijah  with  joy. 

There  are  many  stories  told  of  Elijah's  courage  and 
trust  in  God's  care.  One  of  them  is  about  the  time 
he  went  to  king  Ahab  to  rebuke  him  for  having  stolen 
Naboth's  vineyard. 

Naboth  lived  near  the  palace  of  the  king,  and  he 
had  a  vineyard  which  Ahab  decided  he  wanted  for 
a  vegetable  garden.  Ahab  offered  to  buy  the  vine- 
yard but  Naboth  did  not  want  to  sell  it  because  his 
family  had  owned  it  for  generations.  At  Naboth's 
refusal  to  sell  him  the  piece  of  land  Ahab  was  terribly 
disappointed.  In  fact  he  went  home  and  lay  down 
upon  his  bed  and  turned  his  face  to  the  wall  and  would 
not  eat  anything,  so  great  was  his  temper  at  not  having 
his  own  way. 

When  Jezebel  saw  how  chagrined  her  husband  was 
she  called  out  to  him,  "I  will  get  the  vineyard  for 
you."  She  found  two  men  whom  she  told  to  accuse 
Naboth  of  treachery  and  irreligion  and  stone  him  to 
death.  When  they  had  carried  out  her  cruel  order 
she  came  back  and  told  Ahab  he  could  now  take  the 
vineyard  as  his  own. 


112        Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

Thus  Ahab  and  Jezebel  broke  four  great  command- 
ments of  Moses:  thou  shalt  not  covet,  thou  shalt 
not  steal,  thou  shalt  not  kill,  and  thou  shalt  not  bear 
false  witness. 

And  God  spoke  to  Elijah  and  bade  him  go  and  tell 
Ahab  what  a  sin  he  had  committed,  for  if  kings  and 
queens  should  thus  steal  any  piece  of  property  they 
wanted  and  kill  the  owners  there  would  be  no  security 
or  peace  in  Israel. 

When  Elijah,  brave  and  strong  in  his  obedience 
to  God,  appeared  before  Ahab,  the  king  cried  out  in 
fear  and  wrath,  "  Hast  thou  found  me,  oh  mine  enemy?" 
But  Elijah  explained  to  him  the  enormity  of  his  crime 
and  told  him  of  the  punishment  which  always  comes 
to  those  who  rob  and  injure  their  neighbors.  "Then 
Ahab  rent  his  clothes  and  put  on  sackcloth  upon  his 
flesh,  and  fasted  and  lay  in  sackcloth,  and  went 
softly";  for  he  resolved  that  he  would  sin  against 
God  no  more. 

Thus  did  Elijah  go  about  the  country,  urging  the 
people  to  remember  God  and  deal  justly  with  one 
another. 

At  last  the  time  came  when  he  knew  his  work  in 
this  world  was  over,  and  he  would  soon  leave  it.  As 
he  and  Elisha  were  walking  together  one  day,  Elijah 
turned  to  his  devoted  companion  and  said,  "Ask 
what  I  shall  do  for  thee  before  I  am  taken  from  thee." 
And  Elisha  said,  "I  pray  thee,  let  a  double  portion  of 
thy  spirit  be  upon  me."  Elijah  replied,  "Thou  hast 
asked  a  hard  thing:  nevertheless  if  thou  see  me  when 
I  am  taken  from  thee  it  shall  be  so  unto  thee." 

"And  it  came  to  pass  as  they  still  went  on,  and 
talked,  that  behold,  there  appeared  a  chariot  of  fire, 
and  horses  of  fire,  which  parted  them  both  asunder, 
and  Elijah  went  up  by  a  whirlwind  into  heaven.  And 
Elisha  saw  it  and  he  cried,  My  father,  my  father,  the 


Elijah,  the  Man  of  Fire  113 

chariot  of  Israel  and  the  horsemen  thereof.  And  he 
saw  him  no  more." 

Elisha  saw  this  spiritual  ascension  with  his  spiritual 
eyes.  When  the  glorious  moment  arrives  that  a 
prophet  may  enter  into  the  Kingdom  of  Light,  his 
spirit  as  in  a  chariot  of  divine  fire  rises  as  it  were 
through  a  whirlwind  into  the  pure  heights  of  heaven. 

All  through  the  future  centuries  the  Hebrews  revered 
the  memory  of  Elijah,  the  man  of  fire.  When  the 
Promised  One,  the  Christ  should  come,  they  said,  he 
would  be  like  their  beloved  King  David.  But  before 
he  appeared  there  would  come  a  voice  crying  in  the 
wilderness,  a  prophet  like  Elijah. 

When  Jesus,  the  Christ,  really  appeared  on  earth, 
and  his  disciples  saw  him  transfigured  upon  the  Mount, 
the  two  prophets  who  appeared  to  them  there  by  his 
side  were  Moses  and  Elijah. 


ZOROASTER  AND  THE  FLAMING  TORCH 


CHAPTER  X 
ZOROASTER  AND  THE  FLAMING  TORCH 

WHEN  he  was  a  boy  Zoroaster  played  beside  rushing 
mountain  streams.  His  home  was  in  the  high  plateaus 
of  ancient  Persia.  It  was  a  wonder-land  where  jagged 
mountains  pierced  the  blue  sky  and  fountains,  crystal 
clear,  gushed  from  the  rocks.  There  were  caves  in 
the  mountains'  sides  where  children  might  play  all 
day  long  as  they  breathed  the  exhilarating  ah*. 

Great  was  the  service  which  Zoroaster  was  to  render 
to  this  mountain  country.  When  the  little  child 
came  into  the  world  the  fountains  and  hills  were 
thrilled  with  joy;  all  evil  spirits  fled  away  into  the 
depths;  and  the  house  where  he  was  born  was  envel- 
oped in  heavenly  light.  At  least  so  the  story  tells  us. 

God  put  a  good  mind  in  the  baby  child,  a  mind  of 
wisdom  and  kindness.  When  he  was  ten,  we  are 
told,  Zoroaster  talked  with  learned  men  and  told  them 
holy  truths  about  God.  He  was  always  kind  to  the 
poor  and  the  aged.  When  hungry  and  half-starved 
cattle  travelled  the  road  which  passed  his  house  he 
took  them  in  and  fed  them  from  his  father's  granary. 

Zoroaster  was  fifteen  years  old  when  his  father  died. 
His  brothers  each  claimed  their  share  of  the  inheritance. 
They  asked  Zoroaster  what  he  wanted.  He  replied, 
"  Nothing  but  my  father's  girdle."  The  girdle  was 
a  belt  of  cords  which  ancient  Persians  wore  when  they 
prayed.  This  choice  showed  that  Zoroaster  wanted 
to  serve  God  and  teach  the  Persian  people  of  his  good- 
ness. They  were  then  almost  as  savage  and  untrained 
as  the  Hebrews  in  the  days  of  Moses. 


120        Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

With  his  father's  belt  around  his  waist  he  went 
out  into  the  mountains  to  dwell  in  their  silent  caves. 
For  years  he  wandered  from  mountain  to  mountain, 
and  his  only  food  was  cheese.  When  he  saw  poor  or 
aged  people  in  trouble  he  helped  them.  But  most  of 
the  time  he  was  thinking  of  God  who  dwells  beyond 
human  sight  in  that  holy  realm  which  shines  with  a 
splendor  like  the  sun.  He  made  his  heart  very  pure 
that  God's  Mind  might  speak  within  him.  He  knelt 
in  the  solitude  of  the  mountains  and  prayed:  "O 
God,  give  me  holy  blessings,  and  that  best  of  all  things, 
the  spiritual  glory.  Give  me  thy  wonderful  thoughts 
of  wisdom,  those  of  the  Good  Mind,  which  thou  hast 
revealed  by  thy  righteousness  within  us.  To  prep- 
aration for  thy  kingdom  and  its  approach  on  earth 
would  I  dedicate  myself  so  long  as  to  thee,  O  God, 
I  praise  and  weave  my  song." 

One  morning,  at  sunrise,  as  he  was  praying  by  the 
side  of  a  river  he  had  a  glorious  vision.  An  arch- 
angel appeared  to  him,  who  was  nine  times  the  size 
of  any  man  Zoroaster  had  ever  seen.  He  said,  "I 
am  Good  Thought."  And  in  a  moment  he  had  led 
Zoroaster's  spirit  into  the  very  presence  of  God.  The 
heavenly  light  there  was  so  bright  that  no  shadow 
could  be  seen.  It  was  the  light  of  pure  truth,  and 
from  its  splendor  came  God's  messages  to  the  future 
prophet.  God  taught  him  more  in  the  next  few 
moments  than  he  had  learned  in  all  his  life  be- 
fore. He  saw  how  his  countrymen,  through  good 
thoughts,  good  words,  good  deeds,  might  transform 
the  mountain-plateaus  of  Persia  into  a  veritable 
paradise. 

Zoroaster  now  left  his  mountain  caves.  He  must 
go  and  tell  everyone  how  God  had  made  him  his 
messenger  to  Persia.  He  walked  hundreds  of  miles, 
telling  his  story  as  he  went.  But  no  one  would  listen. 


Zoroaster  and  the  Flaming  Torch          121 

He  told  priests,  and  he  told  kings.  But  they  paid 
no  attention  to  him. 

Once  he  became  discouraged,  and  then  an  evil 
thought,  which  the  story  calls  a  devil,  crept  into  his 
mind  and  told  him  that  his  vision  was  only  a  dream. 
God  had  never  appeared  to  him  at  all.  Why  did  he 
not  give  up  the  foolish  idea  of  teaching  the  Persians 
this  new  religion? 

But  Zoroaster  thought  of  God  all  the  more  earnestly. 
He  took  in  his  hands  stones,  that  is,  thoughts, 
from  God's  Good  Mind  and,  hurling  them  at  Evil 
Thought,  drove  him  away. 

Evil  Thought  soon  returned  and  tempted  him  again, 
saying:  "  Give  up  this  new  religion  and  become  a  king." 

Zoroaster  replied:  "I  shall  not  renounce  the  good 
religion  of  the  worshippers  of  God,  not  though  life 
and  limb  should  part  asunder." 

Once  more  Evil  Thought  snarled  in  his  ear:  "By 
whose  word  wilt  thou  conquer  and  withstand  the  evil 
of  the  world?" 

Zoroaster  answered:  "With  the  Word  proclaimed 
by  God.  With  this  Word  will  I  withstand  and  van- 
quish thee,  thou  Evil  Thought." 

Then  he  repeated  a  prayer  to  God,  and  stood  up 
straight,  so  invincible  in  his  holiness  that  even  Evil 
Thought  cried  out:  "I  can  find  no  destruction  for 
him.  All  glorious  is  Zoroaster." 

For  ten  years  Zoroaster  travelled  up  and  down  the 
mountain  valleys  of  Persia  saying  to  everyone:  "Join 
the  good  and  pure  religion.  Walk  in  the  path  of  God, 
the  way  of  holiness.  The  way  of  God  is  the  way  of 
life  and  the  increase  of  joy,  O  people  of  Persia."  But 
during  all  those  ten  years  no  one  would  listen. 

God,  to  encourage  him,  sent  him  many  wonderful 
visions.  These  visions  came  to  him  upon  the  moun- 
tain tops  or  beside  the  crystal  waters.  In  one  of  them 


122        Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

he  saw  a  great  host  coming  to  support  him.  So  he 
doubted  not  that  he  should  win  the  people  of  his 
country  to  God's  Good  Kingdom. 

At  last  he  made  one  convert,  his  cousin.  This 
cousin  joined  him,  and  together  they  travelled  through- 
out Persia. 

At  the  end  of  twelve  years,  when  Zoroaster  was 
forty-two  years  old,  a  king  named  Vishtasp  gave  him 
permission  to  tell  his  court  about  the  new  religion. 
On  the  appointed  day  Zoroaster  entered  the  assembly 
room  where  Vishtasp  and  his  queen,  with  their  princes 
and  courtiers  awaited  him.  He  wore  a  glistening, 
white  robe.  In  one  hand  he  carried  a  cypress  staff, 
in  the  other  a  bowl  in  which  fire  was  burning. 

Fire  is  the  purest  thing  in  our  world.  Whatever 
is  thrown  into  it  becomes  purified  and  transformed. 
Zoroaster  took  it  as  a  symbol  of  God's  holiness  and 
truth.  He  told  the  king  and  his  court  that  if  they 
would  let  God's  holy  fire  enter  their  hearts  it  would 
burn  away  all  their  sins. 

On  the  following  day  he  returned  to  the  king's  as- 
sembly room,  and  again  the  day  after,  until  for  three 
days  Vishtasp  and  his  court  had  listened  while  he 
told  them  of  the  laws  which  would  make  them  a  strong 
and  prosperous  nation.  While  he  was  proclaiming 
these  glad  tidings,  the  story  says,  even  the  dumb 
animals  in  the  nearby  courtyard  danced  for  joy. 

But  the  courtiers  became  jealous.  They  thought 
Vishtasp  was  too  much  interested  in  Zoroaster.  They 
decided  to  ruin  the  prophet.  So  they  put  nails  and 
bones  and  hair,  the  tools  of  witches  and  magicians,  in 
his  room,  and  then  went  to  the  king  and  told  him  that 
Zoroaster  was  a  wicked  magician.  If  Vishtasp  would 
but  come  with  them  to  the  prophet's  room  they  would 
prove  it  to  him! 

At  this  the  king  gave  orders  that  Zoroaster  should 


Zoroaster  and  the  Flaming  Torch         123 

be  thrown  into  a  dark  dungeon  and  left  there  to  starve. 
Soon,  however,  concluding  that  the  charge  against 
Zoroaster  was  false,  he  repented  this  cruel  treatment 
and  had  him  taken  out  and  brought  to  the  palace 
again. 

Once  more  the  prophet  stood  before  the  king  and 
spoke  of  God.  And  this  time,  as  Vishtasp  listened, 
there  came  to  him,  too,  a  vision.  He  found  himself 
in  the  presence  of  glorious  archangels,  heavenly 
beings  surrounded  by  light  divine.  Although  Vishtasp 
was  a  king,  beside  these  holy  visitors  he  seemed  weak 
and  insignificant,  no  more  than  a  chariot  driver. 

Then  king  Vishtasp  stepped  down  from  his  throne, 
and  kneeling  upon  the  ground  dedicated  his  life  to  the 
service  of  Zoroaster  and  these  heavenly  archangels. 

Soon  the  queen,  and  prince  Isphandiar,  and  the  whole 
court  became  converted  to  Zoroaster's  teaching.  They 
resolved,  with  the  aid  of  their  prophet-leader,  to  spread 
this  teaching  throughout  Persia.  "Good  thoughts, 
good  words,  good  deeds,"  was  their  motto.  They 
showed  the  people  that  good  deeds  meant  digging 
up  the  weeds  which  wasted  the  land,  and  planting 
wheat  and  corn  in  their  stead.  It  meant  irrigating 
the  desert  so  that  corn  could  grow.  It  meant  driving 
off  the  wild  animals  which  threatened  the  people's 
lives.  It  also  meant  that  the  rich  should  share  their 
income  with  the  poor;  it  meant  honesty  and  fair  play. 

Zoroaster  taught  the  Persians  that  it  was  God's 
law  they  should  be  kind  to  their  domestic  animals. 
"Take  good  care  of  the  cattle  and  the  sheep,"  he  told 
them,  "and  give  especial  kindness  to  the  house  dogs 
and  the  shepherd  dogs.  God  has  made  them  to  watch 
over  man's  goods.  When  the  wolf  or  the  thief  comes  to 
the  house  in  the  night  the  dog  awakens  the  sleeping 
people  and  protects  them.  He  smites  the  wolf  and 
tears  him  into  pieces." 


124        Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

"God  made  the  house  dog  and  the  shepherd  dog 
self-clothed,  self-shod,  and  watchful,  and  equipped 
them  with  sharp  teeth.  All  men  need  do  for  them  is 
to  give  them  their  food  and  treat  them  kindly." 

"Take  good  care  of  the  poultry,"  Zoroaster  taught. 
"When  the  rooster  crows  in  the  early  morning  he  is 
God's  messenger  to  awaken  you. 

"Evil  thoughts  whisper:  'Go  back  to  sleep.' 

"God's  messenger  cries:  'Arise,  oh  men!  Whoever 
gets  up  first  shall  enter  paradise.  Arise  quickly! 
Wash  your  hands,  and  build  the  fire,  and  begin  a  day 
of  good  deeds.'  " 1 

For  thirty  years  Zoroaster,  with  the  help  of  king 
Vishtasp,  taught  the  Persian  people  to  be  honest, 
industrious,  healthy,  and  pure.  He  taught  them  to 
think  good  thoughts,  speak  good  words,  and  do  good 
deeds.  This  was  the  way,  he  said,  to  bring  prosperity 
and  joy  to  their  country. 

And  Zoroaster's  promises  to  his  people  were  fulfilled. 
So  long  as  they  followed  his  laws  they  prospered. 
Century  after  century  they  grew  stronger  and  wiser 
until  they  were  counted  to  be  perhaps  the  wisest 
people  hi  all  the  western  world.  At  last  they  had  a 
king  whose  empire  was  so  large  and  well-governed  that 
they  called  him  Cyrus  the  Great.  It  was  the  good 
king  Cyrus,  the  follower  of  Zoroaster,  who  sent  the 
Hebrews  home  to  Palestine  after  their  long  captivity 
in  Babylon. 

The  Zoroastrians  always  remembered  how  their 
prophet  had  said  that  fire  was  a  symbol  of  purity. 
So  they  kept  fire  burning  in  their  temples  and  their 
homes  to  remind  them  of  Zoroaster's  laws.  And  in 
certain  places  in  the  mountains  where  natural  gas  was 
found  they  built  tall  towers  and  piped  the  gas  up  to  the 

1  Adapted  from  quotations  in  the  Story  of  Media,  Babylon  and 
Persia,  by  Zenaide  A.  Hagozin;  Putnam's. 


Zoroaster  and  the  Flaming  Torch          125 

top  of  them.  Then  they  put  a  torch  to  the  gas  and  set 
it  burning,  a  great  flame  on  the  top  of  a  high  tower. 
There  it  burned  for  years  and  years,  in  some  places 
for  centuries  even,  a  brilliant  symbol  to  the  people  of 
God's  Holy  Spirit  which  had  spoken  to  them  through 
their  prophet  Zoroaster. 


MOHAMMED,  PROPHET  OF  THE  DESERT 


CHAPTER  XI 

MOHAMMED,  PROPHET  OF  THE 
DESERT 

I.  THE  VOICE  IN  THE  DESERT 

To  the  south  of  Palestine  there  is  a  great  desert  called 
Arabia.  The  people  of  Arabia,  for  many  centuries, 
were  the  fiercest  savages.  Even  six  hundred  years 
after  Jesus  had  lived  most  of  them  had  heard  nothing 
about  him  or  his  teachings.  They  were  far  away  from 
the  Christians  and  there  was  no  one  to  tell  them. 

In  Mecca,  one  of  the  cities  of  this  wild  and  lawless 
country,  there  was  born  in  the  year  570  A.D.  a  little 
boy  who  was  named  Mohammed.  His  father  and 
mother  died  when  he  was  very  young  and  he  was  taken 
to  live  in  the  home  of  an  uncle. 

This  uncle  loved  him  dearly  and  gave  him  the  best  of 
care,  but  no  education.  There  were  no  books  in  those 
days  and  hardly  any  one  in  Arabia  knew  how  to  read 
or  write.  In  later  years  there  were  many  pretty 
stories  told  of  how  the  angels  came  down  from  heaven 
to  watch  over  little  Mohammed  and  teach  him  all  the 
things  he  should  know. 

His  uncle  was  a  merchant,  and  when  Mohammed  grew 
to  manhood  he  would  sometimes  travel  with  the  long 
desert  caravans  which  carried  goods  to  and  fro  through 
Arabia.  He  usually  rode  on  the  back  of  a  camel. 
He  was  so  trustworthy  that  his  companions  named  him 
Al  Almin,  the  faithful. 

Because  of  his  faithfulness  Khadijah,  a  rich  widow, 
employed  him  to  travel  and  buy  goods  and  manage 
her  business  for  her.  After  a  while  she  and  Mohammed 


Mohammed,  Prophet  of  the  Desert        133 

were  married.  She  said  to  him,  "I  love  thee  for  the 
respect  with  which  thy  people  regard  thee,  for  thy 
honesty,  for  the  beauty  of  thy  character,  and  the  trust- 
worthiness of  thy  speech." 

For  fifteen  years,  until  he  was  forty,  Mohammed 
managed  Khadijah's  business  and  they  lived  in  great 
happiness.  Then  there  occurred  a  wonderful  event 
which  changed  his  whole  life.  Mohammed  was  in 
the  habit  of  spending  much  of  his  time  in  prayer. 
One  day  he  was  in  a  mountain  cave  earnestly  pray- 
ing. The  sun  blazed  hot  on  the  bare,  white  moun- 
tain. The  sandy  and  uninhabited  valleys  around  his 
cave  were  very  silent.  As  he  prayed  suddenly  a 
voice  rang  through  his  mind.  Moses  had  heard  that 
same  voice  on  Mount  Sinai.  It  had  spoken  to  Elijah. 
The  voice  said  to  Mohammed,  "Cry!"  It  was  so  clear 
and  wonderful  it  almost  overwhelmed  him.  At  last 
he  asked,  "What  shall  I  cry?"  The  voice  replied: 
"Cry  in  the  name  of  thy  Lord  who  created  thee,  thy 
Lord  the  most  bountiful,  who  taught  man  what  he 
did  not  know." 

Mohammed  went  back  and  told  his  wife  what  he 
had  heard;  how  God  had  spoken  to  him  and  wished  him 
to  go  forth  and  persuade  the  Arabians  to  give  up  their 
savage  ways.  Khadijah  was  overjoyed  that  he  should 
have  been  chosen  for  such  a  service.  She  believed  in 
him  and  became  his  first  disciple. 

Mohammed  now  started  out  to  tell  the  people  of 
Mecca  of  the  message  he  had  for  them:  that  God  was 
not  pleased  with  them  and  wished  him,  Mohammed, 
to  teach  them  and  give  them  the  laws  they  must  obey. 
He  gathered  all  his  kinsmen  together  one  day  at  a 
banquet  and  there  told  them  that  he  was  chosen  to  be 
God's  prophet  to  teach  Arabia.  He  asked  who  would 
stand  by  him  in  this  great  undertaking.  There  was  a 
deep  silence.  Then  a  boy,  Ali,  Mohammed's  nephew, 


134        Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

arose  and  cried  out,  "Prophet  of  God,  I  will  aid  thee!" 
The  older  men  were  so  amused  that  Mohammed's 
only  follower  should  be  this  mere  boy  that  they  burst 
out  laughing,  and  the  company  broke  up. 

When  Mohammed  tried  to  tell  his  mission  to  the 
rest  of  the  people  in  Mecca  they  paid  no  more  attention 
to  him  than  had  his  relatives.  How  could  it  be,  they 
argued,  that  their  own  townsman  had  been  chosen  by 
God  to  teach  his  laws  to  them.  That  was  not  the  way, 
they  declared,  that  God  sent  his  messengers. 

So  is  it  always  when  a  great  prophet  appears.  The 
people  see  that  he  looks  just  like  them  and  they  will 
not  believe  that  God  has  spoken  especially  to  him  and 
given  him  his  good  tidings. 

Mohammed  was  in  no  wise  discouraged  by  this  ridi- 
cule. He  had  heard  the  divine  voice  ringing  through 
his  mind.  He  had  felt  God's  heavenly  love  pouring 
into  his  heart,  and  he  knew  he  was  not  mistaken. 
God  was  on  his  side.  God  had  chosen  him.  God 
would  protect  him.  And  the  people  would  some  day 
believe  in  him  and  his  words.  Thus  he  could  withstand 
any  amount  of  opposition.  God  was  with  him;  how 
could  he  be  afraid? 

His  uncle  came  and  plead  with  him  to  give  up  this 
foolish  idea  that  God  had  chosen  him  to  save  Arabia. 
Mohammed  with  great  dignity  and  earnestness  replied: 
"  Were  the  sun  to  come  down  on  my  right  hand  and  the 
moon  on  my  left  and  bid  me  give  up  my  mission  I  could 
not  abandon  it."  Then  he  burst  into  tears.  How  it 
grieved  him  to  hurt  the  feelings  of  his  uncle!  But  he 
could  not  disobey  God  even  though  the  sun  and  the 
moon  should  leave  the  skies  and  bid  him  to  do  so;  for 
God  is  greater  than  the  sun  and  the  moon. 

His  uncle  was  deeply  moved  by  his  courage,  and 
exclaimed,  "Go  and  say  whatever  thou  wilt.  I  will 
never  give  thee  up  unto  thy  enemies." 


Mohammed,  Prophet  of  the  Desert         135 

Mohammed  continued  to  preach.  But  the  people 
only  laughed  at  him.  When  he  gathered  them  together 
to  teach  them  one  of  his  relatives  would  stand  up  and 
shout  while  Mohammed  was  speaking,  trying  to  drown 
out  his  voice.  And  the  people  would  jeer  and  taunt 
and  sometimes  throw  stones  at  him.  But  Mohammed 
bore  it  patiently,  never  complaining.  He  said  the 
people  must  be  summoned  "to  the  way  of  the  Lord 
with  wisdom  and  kindly  warning.  Dispute  with  them 
in  the  kindest  manner.  Endure  what  they  say  with 
patience  and  depart  from  them  with  a  decorous  de- 
parture." One  of  his  uncles,  seeing  how  nobly  he 
endured  all  the  persecutions  heaped  upon  him,  believed 
in  him.  He  was  won  by  Mohammed's  goodness  and 
sincerity. 

For  three  years  Mohammed  preached  his  message 
to  the  people  of  Mecca.  But  at  the  end  of  that  time 
a  very  small  band,  mostly  slaves  and  very  poor  people, 
were  his  only  followers. 

For  ten  years  more  he  called  to  them  day  after  day: 
"O  people  of  Mecca,  there  is  but  one  God,  God  the 
Eternal.  Nor  is  there  one  like  unto  him.  He  has 
sent  down  laws  by  obeying  which  all  Arabia  may  pros- 
per, and  all  the  people  enter  into  joy."  He  plead  with 
them  "by  the  splendor  of  the  morning  and  still  of  night" 
not  to  worship  their  idols  made  of  wood  and  stone  but 
to  turn  to  God  who  made  the  stars  and  the  sun  and  the 
mountains,  and  obey  him. 

At  the  end  of  thirteen  years  there  were  only  a  few 
people  who  paid  any  attention  to  him.  And  some  of 
these  were  killed  because  they  believed  him.  Part 
of  the  time  his  followers  were  shut  up  in  one  quarter 
of  the  city  where  they  had  great  difficulty  in  getting 
food. 

Mohammed  then  went  to  a  city  seventy  miles  from 
Mecca  and  tried  to  teach  the  people  there.  But  they 


136        Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

stoned  him  out  of  the  town.  These  persecutions  he 
endured  with  perfect  patience.  "Recompense  evil," 
he  said,  "with  that  which  is  better."  And  what  is  it 
that  is  better  than  ridicule  and  stoning?  It  is  love  and 
forgiveness. 

Conditions  had  become  so  dangerous  for  them  in 
Mecca  that  Mohammed's  followers  could  no  longer 
live  there.  Many  of  them  had  been  killed;  others 
driven  away.  Mohammed  himself  had  to  hide  in  caves 
outside  the  city  as  forty  men  were  pledged  to  kill 
him.  So  he  began  to  send  his  followers  away  from  the 
city  by  twos  and  threes,  to  Medina.  When  they  were 
all  safe  he  himself  escaped  one  night  and  joined  them. 
His  departure  from  Mecca  is  called  "The  Hegira." 
Many  years  afterward  when  thousands  of  people 
loved  and  believed  in  him  they  made  themselves 
a  calendar,  just  as  the  Christians  had  done.  Our 
Christian  calendar  begins  with  the  birth  of  Christ. 
The  Mohammedan  calendar  starts  with  this  flight  to 
Medina. 

II.  THE  PROPHET  BECOMES  A  KING 

After  the  Hegira,  in  the  year  622  A.D.,  there  came  a 
momentous  change  in  the  history  of  Arabia.  For  lo, 
when  Mohammed  began  teaching  his  message  to  the 
people  of  Medina,  they  listened  with  joy.  He  was  so 
trustworthy  that  many  said  that  they  had  never  seen 
his  like  before  or  after.  "His  dark,  black,  restless 
eyes  flashed  with  light.  His  step  was  quick  and 
elastic,  yet  firm,  as  that  of  one  who  steps  from  a  high 
to  a  low  place.  When  he  spoke  it  was  with  emphasis 
and  no  one  could  forget  what  he  said."  Many  became 
his  followers  and  so  deeply  did  they  respect  him  that 
they  asked  him  to  be  their  governor. 

When  the  Meccans  heard  of  his  success  they  became 
greatly  enraged.  They  even  raised  an  army  and 


Mohammed,  Prophet  of  the  Desert        137 

started  post-haste  for  Medina.  As  they  drew  near 
Medina  Mohammed  stood  within  the  city  praying 
for  guidance.  What  should  he  do?  The  Meccans 
were  coming  through  the  date  orchards.  Soon  they 
would  be  upon  him  and  would  kill  his  followers  and 
their  wives  and  children.  And  there  would  be  no  one 
left  to  teach  Arabia. 

Then  the  divine  voice  spoke  in  his  soul  and  bade 
him  defend  his  disciples.  Mohammed  who  had  never 
struck  any  one  in  his  life  quickly  gathered  together 
three  hundred  Moslems,  as  his  followers  were  called, 
and  started  out  to  meet  an  army  of  several  thousand 
Meccans.  But  the  Moslems,  inspired  by  the  thought 
that  God  was  with  them,  fought  with  heroic  bravery 
and  put  to  flight  the  Meccan  host. 

Twice  again  the  Meccans  returned,  hoping  to  annihi- 
late Mohammed  and  his  followers.  Each  time  the 
Moslems  thought  of  how  God  wished  them  to  save 
Arabia.  Then  they  fought  with  invincible  courage 
and  each  time  drove  back  the  enemy. 

Mohammed  and  his  Moslems  treated  the  prisoners 
they  took  in  battle  with  a  kindness  which  had  never 
before  been  known  in  Arabia.  They  brought  them  to 
their  homes  and  made  them  honored  guests.  They 
gave  them  the  best  of  everything.  Again  and  again 
the  prisoners'  hearts  were  melted  by  such  kindness  and 
they  became  converts  to  the  new  religion.  Many  of 
them,  after  they  were  released  went  to  other  places 
to  proclaim  the  good  news  of  Mohammed's  teaching. 
Sometimes  one  man  would  convert  a  whole  city.  In 
this  way  city  after  city  accepted  the  new  message. 

At  last  the  people  of  Mecca  made  a  treaty  of  peace. 
In  this  treaty  it  was  agreed  that  on  a  certain  day 
all  the  Meccans  should  leave  their  city  and  allow  the 
Moslems  to  enter  it.  There  was  a  shrine  in  Mecca 
called  the  Caaba  (Ka'a-ba)  which  the  Arabians  had 


138        Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

held  sacred  for  centuries.  Mohammed  and  the  Mos- 
lems wished  to  visit  this  shrine. 

When  the  appointed  day  arrived  the  Meccans,  as 
agreed,  left  the  city  and  sat  or  stood  on  the  sandy 
hills  outside.  Then  Mohammed,  walking  with  his 
free,  stately  stride  entered  Mecca  with  all  the  Moslems 
behind  him.  Three  days  he  and  his  followers  spent 
there  in  prayer.  Then  they  walked  out  again  They 
were  so  humble  and  devout,  Mohammed  so  kindly  and 
majestic,  that  some  of  the  watching  Meccans  realized 
he  was  a  great  prophet  and  became  his  followers. 

But  the  rest  of  them  soon  forgot  all  about  these  won- 
derful days  and  broke  their  treaty  with  the  Moslems. 
Then  Mohammed,  seeing  there  would  be  no  peace  for 
Arabia  until  Mecca  was  subdued,  besieged  and  cap- 
tured the  city. 

When  the  victors  entered  Mecca  Mohammed  forbade 
them  to  touch  any  property,  or  harm  anyone,  or  even 
injure  the  date  orchards.  It  was  the  custom  in  ancient 
tunes  for  armies  to  plunder  the  cities  they  captured. 
Mohammed  said  his  army  must  treat  their  captives 
with  love  and  kindness  even  though  for  years  the 
Meccans  had  tried  to  kill  them.  Mohammed  himself 
was  always  their  example. 

One  day  he  lay  asleep  under  a  tree  at  a  distance  from 
camp.  Suddenly  he  was  awakened.  There  standing 
over  him  was  an  enemy,  a  hostile  warrior. 

"O  Mohammed,"  he  cried,  "who  is  there  now  to 
save  thee?" 

"God,"  replied  the  prophet. 

As  he  spoke  there  was  something  so  fearless  and 
splendid  in  his  utterance  that  the  warrior  was  struck 
with  awe.  "If  God  is  protecting  Mohammed,"  he 
thought,  "what  can  I  do  unto  him?"  And  he  dropped 
his  sword.  Mohammed  arose,  quietly  took  up  the 
sword  and  lifted  it  over  the  man's  head. 


Mohammed,  Prophet  of  the  Desert        139 

"Who  is  there  now  to  save  thee?"  he  asked. 

"Alas,  no  one!"  answered  the  terrified  soldier. 

"Then  learn  from  me  to  be  merciful,"  replied  the 
prophet,  and  handed  the  soldier  his  sword.1 

Conquered  by  Mohammed's  kindness,  this  warrior 
became  one  of  his  most  faithful  disciples. 

III.    MOHAMMED  CONQUERS  ARABIA 

In  time  Mohammed's  empire  included  all  Arabia. 
Tribe  after  tribe  joined  the  kingdom.  For  a  thousand 
years  these  tribes  had  fought  and  killed  each  other. 
Now,  under  then-  prophet-king,  they  became  a  united 
and  a  splendid  people,  one  great  brotherhood  of  Mos- 
lems. 

This  all  happened  within  the  first  ten  years  after 
Mohammed's  flight  from  Mecca.  Mohammed  fought 
very  few  battles.  Most  of  the  tribes  joined  him  just 
because  he  was  so  kind  and  forgiving,  so  fearless  and 
strong.  He  conquered  Arabia  not  by  the  sword  but 
by  his  teaching. 

This  teaching  he  received  from  God's  promptings  in 
his  heart.  When  he  heard  God  speaking  within  his 
soul  he  had  the  message  written  down  on  palm  leaves 
or  the  white  bones  of  the  sheep  which  lay  in  the  desert. 
Then  his  followers  copied  the  words  and  spread  them 
throughout  Arabia.  Afterward  they  collected  them  into 
a  book  called  the  Koran.  The  Koran  is  the  bible  of 
all  the  Mohammedans. 

It  was  impossible  for  everybody  in  Arabia  to  see 
Mohammed,  or  hear  him  speak  or  witness  his  love. 
So  his  followers  took  his  words  and  with  his  mighty 
spirit  glowing  in  their  hearts  went  forth  to  convert  the 
Arabians.  They  went  fearlessly  among  the  most  savage 
tribes,  into  places  where  they  might,  perhaps,  be  killed 
any  moment. 

1  Adapted  from  Spirit  of  Islam,  by  Syed  Ameer  Ali. 


140        Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

A  devoted  Moslem,  a  man  named  Musa'b  (Mu'sahb) 
was  once  teaching  the  new  religion  in  a  house  where 
he  was  a  guest.  Suddenly  an  enemy  of  the  cause  ap- 
peared at  the  door  and  cried  out  to  Musa'b,  "What 
are  you  doing,  leading  weak-minded  folk  astray?  If 
you  value  your  life  begone  hence!"  And  he  raised  his 
spear  to  throw  it  at  him. 

Musa'b,  not  at  all  frightened,  answered  quietly, 
"Sit  down  and  listen;  if  thou  art  pleased  with  what 
thou  hearest,  accept  it;  if  not,  then  leave  it." 

The  man  quieted  his  fury,  stuck  his  spear  into  the 
earthen  floor  of  the  room,  and  sat  down. 

Then  Musa'b,  his  face  and  heart  aglow  with  the  glad 
tidings  of  the  One  God  and  the  religion  he  had  sent  to 
earth,  explained  the  teachings  of  Mohammed.  The 
rough  man,  who  had  come  to  kill  him,  listened  quietly. 
Presently  his  heart  was  softened,  and  filled  with  joy 
he  cried,  "What  must  I  do  to  enter  this  new  religion?" 

"Purify  thyself  with  water  and  confess  there  is  no 
God  but  God,  and  Mohammed  is  the  apostle  of  God," 
Musa'b  told  him.  The  man  did  so  and  started  out  to 
tell  others  of  the  glad  tidings. 

Mohammed  himself  was  often  in  danger  of  losing  his 
life.  A  man  named  Umar  set  out  one  time  in  a  great 
rage  to  kill  him.  As  he  was  rushing  through  the  streets 
of  the  city,  sword  in  hand,  in  search  of  Mohammed, 
someone  stopped  him  and  asked  what  he  was  doing. 

"I  am  looking  for  Mohammed,"  he  cried,  "to  kill 
the  renegade." 

"Why  dost  thou  not  rather  punish  the  members 
of  thy  own  family  and  set  them  right?"  asked  his 
friend. 

"Who  are  those  of  my  own  family?"  Umar  exclaimed 
in  surprise.  He  did  not  suspect  that  any  of  his  family 
had  been  converted. 

"Th,y  brother-in-law,  Sa'id  (Sah'id),  and  thy  sister, 


Mohammed,  Prophet  of  the  Desert         141 

Fatima,  who  have  become  Moslems,"  his  friend 
answered. 

Off  the  enraged  Umar  ran,  to  the  home  of  his  sister 
and  her  husband.  He  found  them  reading  aloud  a 
chapter  from  the  Koran  written  on  a  loose  sheet  of 
paper.  As  he  entered  the  room  they  quickly  concealed  it. 

"What  was  that  sound  I  heard?"  shouted  Umar. 

"It  was  nothing,"  they  replied. 

"Nay,  but  I  have  heard  you,"  said  Umar,  "and 
have  learned  that  you  have  become  followers  of  Mo- 
hammed." 

At  that  he  turned  upon  his  sister's  husband  to  kill 
him.  But  Fatima  threw  herself  between  them  crying 
out  bravely,  "Yes,  we  are  Moslems;  we  believe  in  the 
one  good  God  and  his  prophet;  slay  us  if  you  will." 

In  his  effort  to  reach  her  husband  Umar  struck  his 
sister's  cheek  with  his  sword.  At  the  sight  of  the  blood 
on  her  face  his  heart  was  softened.  He  put  down  his 
sword  and  asked  to  see  the  paper  they  had  been  read- 
ing. After  some  hesitation  Fatima  handed  it  to  him. 
It  was  the  twentieth  sura,  or  chapter,  of  Mohammed's 
Koran. 

As  Umar  read  his  anger  disappeared,  and  he  cried 
out  in  wonder,  "How  beautiful,  how  sublime  it  is! 
Lead  me  to  Mohammed  that  I  may  tell  him  of  my 
conversion!"1 

As  the  wild  and  barbarous  tribes  of  the  Arabian  desert 
learned  to  obey  and  love  Mohammed  there  gradually 
came  over  them  a  remarkable  change.  They  forgot 
their  quarrels  and  lived  peaceably  together.  Learning 
spread  among  them.  Civilization  arose,  and  from  the 
ninth  to  the  twelfth  centuries  the  Moslems  were  the 
most  enlightened,  the  wisest,  and  best  educated  people 
in  all  the  world.  They  founded  universities  so  excellent 

1  These  two  stories  are  taken  from  T.  W.  Arnold's  Preaching  of 
Islam  (Scribner's),  Chapter  II. 


142        Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

that  the  people  of  Italy  and  France  and  Germany  were 
glad  to  come  to  them  for  instruction.  Many  of  them 
settled  in  Spain,  where  they  built  that  wonderful 
building,  the  Alhambra. 

To  the  end  of  his  life  Mohammed  remained  humble 
and  kind.  Though  ruler  over  a  great  empire,  when  he 
entered  a  room  he  always  took  the  lowliest  seat.  If  a 
servant  came  to  his  door  and  told  him  he  had  been 
mistreated,  Mohammed,  the  king,  would  take  his  hand 
and  go  with  him  to  secure  justice.  He  would  accept 
the  invitation  of  a  slave  to  dinner.  When  he  might  have 
had  hundreds  to  serve  him,  he  mended  his  own  clothes 
and  waited  upon  himself.  "He  would  kindle  the  fire, 
sweep  the  floor,  and  milk  the  goats."  The  little  food 
he  had  he  always  shared  with  those  who  dropped  in 
to  partake  of  it.  Indeed,  outside  the  prophet's  house 
was  a  bench  on  which  was  always  to  be  found  a  number 
of  poor  who  lived  entirely  upon  his  generosity,  and 
who  hence  were  called  "the  people  of  the  bench."  His 
ordinary  food  was  dates  and  water,  or  barley  bread; 
milk  and  honey  were  luxuries  of  which  he  was  fond, 
but  which  he  rarely  allowed  himself.  He  slept  on 
the  ground  with  nothing  under  him  but  an  old  Arab 
coat.  He  lived  thus  in  order  that  he  might  have  money 
to  give  to  the  suffering  and  the  poor. 

One  day  his  nephew,  Ali,  brought  him  a  handsome 
coat.  Mohammed  exchanged  it  for  a  cheaper  one  and 
gave  away  the  money  that  was  thus  saved.  A  few 
days  later  he  gave  away  this  coat  also  to  a  man  who  was 
shivering  from  the  cold.  He  gave  away  so  much  that 
he  had  no  money  left  to  buy  fuel  for  himself,  and  for 
weeks  at  a  time  there  would  be  no  fire  in  the  home  of  the 
prophet-king. 

When  men  are  thus  unselfish  God  fills  their  minds 
with  his  spirit,  and  their  words  have  power  to  change 
the  hearts  of  men. 


BUDDHA,  THE  LIGHT  OF  ASIA 


CHAPTER  XII 
BUDDHA,   THE  LIGHT  OF  ASIA 

I.  THE  PRINCE  IN  THE  PALACE 

FROM  India  there  come  many  tales  of  princes,  their 
jewels,  and  their  palaces.  The  most  beautiful  of  all  is 
the  story  of  Gau'ta-ma,  the  Buddha.  He  lived  long, 
long  ago,  but  is  still  loved  by  millions  of  people  in 
India  and  China  and  Japan.  If  we  should  ask  these 
people  why  they  love  him  they  would  tell  us  he  was 
the  savior  and  the  light  of  Asia. 

His  father,  Shuddhodana  (Shud-o-da'na),  was  the 
king  of  a  little  province  south  of  the  snow-crested 
Himalaya  Mountains.  Maya-devi,  his  mother,  was 
"  beautiful  as  the  water-lily  and  pure  in  mind  as  the 
lotus."  When  the  baby  Gautama  was  born  it  was 
such  a  wonderful  event  in  the  history  of  Asia  that  we 
are  told:  "All  the  worlds  were  flooded  with  light, 
whilst  celestial  music  rang  through  the  air  and  the 
angels  rejoiced  with  gladness."  l 

The  baby  child  was  so  beautiful  and  perfect  his 
parents  realized  he  must  be  destined  to  do  a  great  work 
for  the  world.  It  is  said  that  their  belief  was  con- 
firmed by  the  visit  of  a  holy  man  who  lived  in  the 
nearby  forest.  This  holy  man  prayed  to  God  night  and 
day.  Everyone  honored  him  for  his  wisdom  and 
goodness.  When  he  came  near  where  the  young  child 
was  he  burst  into  tears.  The  king  was  alarmed  and 
asked,  "Why  has  the  sight  of  my  son  caused  thee 
grief  and  pain?" 

1  Most  of  the  quotations  in  this  chapter  are  taken  from  The  Gospel 
of  Buddha,  by  Paul  Carus.  Open  Court  Publishing  Company. 


154        Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

His  saintly  visitor  turned  his  eyes  to  the  king  with 
joy  shining  through  his  tears,  and  cried,  "  Banish  all 
anxiety  and  doubt.  The  king  should  feel  great  joy 
for  he  has  a  wondrously  noble  son.  He  is  born  for 
the  sake  of  all  that  live.  He  will  rescue  from  bondage 
all  the  poor  and  the  miserable  and  the  helpless."  And 
the  old  man  wept  because  he  was  so  old  he  must  die 
before  the  child  should  grow  to  manhood  and  begin 
the  glorious  liberation  of  the  suffering  people  of  Asia. 

As  Gautama  grew  up  he  became  very  strong  and 
athletic.  He  excelled  in  archery.  He  won  in  all 
sorts  of  contests.  But  his  mind  grew  even  faster,  so 
that  while  he  was  still  a  little  boy  he  talked  with  wise 
men  and  answered  their  questions.  The  story  says 
that  "as  the  light  of  the  moon  little  by  little  increases, 
so  the  royal  child  grew  from  day  to  day  in  mind  and 
body;  and  truthfulness  and  love  resided  in  his  heart." 

His  father,  the  king,  wanted  him  to  be  a  mighty 
emperor  and  was  sure  this  would  come  about,  for  the 
holy  man  had  prophesied  that  Gautama  should  rule 
the  world. 

Now  men,  as  we  have  seen,  may  rule  in  two  ways. 
Some  gather  together  armies  and  conquer  nations  by 
war.  Others  conquer  by  their  love  and  their  teachings. 
Gautama's  father  wanted  his  son  to  win  his  empire 
with  an  army.  He  did  not  realize  how  much  better 
it  would  be  to  conquer  by  love.  So  in  his  ignorance  he 
determined  the  boy  should  be  a  powerful  monarch. 
"I  will  make  him  love  fine  clothes  and  horses  and 
palaces,"  thought  the  king,  "then  he  will  never  be  satis- 
fied, for  the  more  he  has  the  more  he  will  want.  This 
will  make  him  go  out  and  fight  other  kings  that  he  may 
take  for  himself  their  wealth." 

So  he  built  for  his  son  a  palace  and  surrounded  it  with 
gardens  full  of  trees  and  fountains  and  flowers  and 
birds.  Some  say  he  built  for  him  three  palaces,  one 


Buddha,  the  Light  of  Asia  155 

for  the  winter,  one  for  the  hot  summer,  and  one  for  the 
pleasant  spring  and  autumn.  Then  the  king  hired 
musicians  and  dancers  to  come  and  amuse  the  prince. 
He  built  a  high  wall  around  the  gardens  and  never 
let  Gautama  go  outside  their  fairy-like  enclosures  lest 
he  should  see  the  suffering  people  and  be  moved  to 
help  them. 

Until  he  was  twenty-nine  years  old  Prince  Gautama 
lived  in  his  father's  royal  palaces.  He  married,  and 
had  a  little  son  of  his  own,  named  Rahula.  He  ten- 
derly loved  his  wife  and  little  Rahula,  but  every  now 
and  then  he  wondered  how  the  other  children  in  the 
world  were  living,  and  if  the  people  outside  the  palace 
gardens  were  happy  also.  At  last  he  decided  to  go 
and  see  for  himself. 

Then  the  king  ordered  a  jewel-fronted  chariot  with 
four  stately  horses  to  be  got  ready,  and  he  sent  out  a 
decree  to  all  the  people  to  make  their  houses  beautiful 
with  flowers  and  banners  and  to  hide  away  every  ugly 
and  sorrowful  sight.  When  everything  was  prepared 
Gautama  stepped  into  his  sparkling  chariot  and  the 
charioteer  drove  the  horses  through  the  garden  gates. 

As  they  passed  along  the  empty  road  suddenly  they 
met  an  old  man.  His  hair  was  white,  his  body  bent. 
The  prince  was  astonished.  He  had  never  seen  an 
old  person  before.  But  his  charioteer  told  him  everyone 
must  grow  old. 

A  little  further  on  they  came  upon  a  sick  man  lying 
by  the  wayside  groaning  with  pain.  Then  a  funeral 
procession  passed  by.  In  quick  succession  the  prince 
saw  these  signs  of  the  suffering  in  the  world. 

That  night  prince  Gautama  found  no  rest  upon  his 
soft  pillow.  He  was  thinking  of  all  the  sorrowful 
people  in  Asia,  and  wondering  who  was  to  help  them. 
At  last  he  arose  and  went  out  into  the  garden.  ' '  Alas ! " 
he  cried,  "all  the  world  is  full  of  darkness  and  ignorance 


156        Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

and  there  is  no  one  who  knows  how  to  cure  the  ills  of 
existence."  Then  he  sat  down  under  a  tree  and 
prayed  to  God. 

Soon  he  became  tranquil,  and  there  came  to  him  a 
wonderful  vision.  He  saw  a  saintly  man  who  said  to 
him,  "You  are  the  one  to  teach  a  suffering  world  the 
path  to  peace  and  joy.  You  are  to  be  a  Buddha." 
A  Buddha  is  a  Christlike  teacher  who  shall  save  the 
world  by  his  teachings. 

The  heart  of  the  prince  beat  with  joy  at  this  good 
tidings.  But  he  knew  that  he  must  first  pray  and  learn 
just  how  to  teach. 

In  India  when  a  man  wishes  to  pray  and  gain  great 
wisdom  he  goes  off  alone  into  the  forest  or  the  mountains 
where  he  eats  very  little,  and  thinks  of  God  all  the  time. 
Gautama  decided  this  was  what  he  must  do.  He  knew 
that  as  long  as  he  stayed  in  the  palace  his  father  would 
insist  upon  his  living  as  a  prince.  So  he  must  leave 
the  palace.  It  was  God's  command  that  he  prepare 
himself  to  save  Asia. 

To  leave  his  beloved  wife  and  child  caused  him  great 
sorrow.  But  for  the  sake  of  those  whom  he  was  to 
teach  it  must  be  done.  In  war  sometimes  a  father 
leaves  his  wife  and  children  and  dies  on  the  battlefield. 
He  does  this  to  save  his  country.  Gautama  had  to 
leave  his  wife  and  child  to  save  a  country  which  God 
was  to  give  him  —  the  hearts  of  the  people  of  India. 

"The  prince  returned  to  the  bedroom  of  his  wife  to 
take  a  last  farewell  glance  at  those  whom  he  dearly 
loved  above  all  the  treasures  of  the  earth.  He  longed 
to  take  the  boy  once  more  into  his  arms  and  kiss 
him  with  a  parting  kiss.  But  the  child  lay  in  the  arms 
of  its  mother  and  he  could  not  lift  the  boy  without 
awakening  both. 

"At  last  the  prince  tore  himself  away  with  a  manly 
heart.  He  mounted  his  steed  Kanthaka,  and  find- 


Buddha,  the  Light  of  Asia  157 

ing  the  gates  of  the  castle  wide  open,  he  went  out 
into  homelessness,  accompanied  only  by  his  faithful 
charioteer. 

"  Darkness  lay  upon  the  earth,  but  the  stars  shone 
brightly  in  the  heavens." 

II.  THE  PRINCE  BECOMES  THE  BUDDHA 

When  the  prince  had  travelled  a  short  distance  from 
the  palace  he  dismounted  and  sent  his  horse  back  by 
the  charioteer.  He  bade  the  charioteer  tell  his  father 
that  he  had  decided  to  retire  into  the  forest  to  pray  until 
God  taught  him  the  way  to  save  mankind. 

Then  he  exchanged  his  princely  clothes  for  a  rough, 
yellow  robe.  He  found  a  beggar's  bowl  which  he  tied 
with  a  string  and  hung  around  his  neck.  This  was  the 
way  the  monks  in  India  dressed.  Then  he  went 
quietly  away  to  his  life  in  the  forest.  Each  day  he 
came  forth  into  the  streets  of  a  nearby  town  and 
went  from  door  to  door  with  his  empty  bowl.  When 
some  kindly  person  had  filled  it  with  rice  he  would  go 
back,  eat  his  frugal  meal,  and  spend  the  rest  of  his  time 
in  prayer. 

With  this  change  from  the  life  of  the  palace  to  that 
of  the  penniless  pilgrim  there  came  to  Gautama  peace 
and  joy.  As  he  walked  along  the  highway  with  his 
beggar's  bowl  in  his  hand  his  eyes  shone  with  happiness. 
"The  beauty  of  his  youth  was  transfigured  by  his 
holiness.  It  surrounded  his  head  like  a  halo."  The 
people  who  saw  him  pass  often  stopped  and  gazed  at 
the  wonderful  sight  of  his  majestic,  spiritual  beauty. 

One  day  as  he  sat  under  a  tree  by  a  flowing  river 
eating  his  rice  a  king  named  Bam-bi-sa'ra  drew  near. 
He  had  heard  of  Gautama  and  came  to  visit  him. 
As  he  approached  he  beheld  the  peace  which  shone  in 
Gautama's  face,  and  the  gentleness  of  his  manners,  and 
his  kingly  bearing. 


158        Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

"Oh  Gautama!"  he  cried,  "your  hands  are  fit  to 
grasp  the  reins  of  an  empire  and  should  not  hold  a 
beggar's  bowl."  And  Bambisara  urged  him  to  come 
with  him  and  help  him  in  ruling  his  kingdom.  But 
the  prince  answered  that  he  had  given  up  one  kingdom 
to  serve  God  and  he  did  not  want  another.  Now  he 
was  going  still  further  away,  to  find  the  truth  which 
would  bring  joy  and  salvation  to  all  people. 

"May  you  obtain  that  which  you  seek,"  exclaimed 
Bambisara,  and  bowing  before  him  with  great  reverence 
he  clasped  Prince  Gautama's  hands.  Then  Bambisara 
departed,  with  a  great  love  for  Gautama  in  his  heart. 

The  prince  went  deep  into  the  forest.  There  he 
joined  five  monks  who  believed  that  by  fasting  and 
living  in  great  hardship  they  could  become  so  pure  that 
God  would  speak  to  them.  Gautama  prayed  con- 
tinually and  fasted  more  rigorously  than  the  others. 
At  last  he  ate  only  one  grain  of  rice  a  day.  On  this 
diet  he  became  so  weak  he  could  hardly  walk,  and  one 
day  he  fainted  away. 

Then  he  saw  that  to  serve  God  and  mankind  effec- 
tively he  must  have  a  strong  and  well  body.  So  he 
gave  up  his  ascetic  habits.  At  this  his  five  com- 
panions forsook  him.  They  thought  he  had  given 
up  his  fasting  because  he  found  it  too  hard.  But 
Gautama  had  only  taken  another  step  toward  the  wis- 
dom he  sought.  He  had  discovered  that  the  body  is 
the  temple  of  God  whose  Spirit  dwelleth  in  us  and  we 
must  take  care  of  God's  temple  and  keep  it  well.  He 
had  learned  many  other  things  also  hi  the  seven  years 
he  had  now  spent  in  the  forest,  and  the  tune  was 
drawing  near  for  the  great  discovery  which  should 
make  him  a  savior  of  Asia. 

One  morning,  after  bathing  in  the  river,  he  went  and 
sat  down  under  a  bo  tree  and  began  to  pray.  And 
God's  spirit  so  filled  him  that  his  face  shone  bright 


Buddha,  the  Light  of  Asia  159 

from  the  light  within.  Presently  a  little  servant 
girl  passed  by.  When  she  saw  him  she  ran  away  and 
told  her  mistress  a  god  had  come  down  to  earth  and  was 
sitting  under  the  bo  tree.  "And,"  she  cried,  "he 
illumined  the  whole  tree  with  his  radiance." 

Her  mistress,  overjoyed  at  the  news,  immediately 
prepared  a  delicious  dish  of  rice  and  milk  and  putting 
it  in  a  golden  bowl  brought  it  to  Gautama.  As  she 
came  toward  him  she  stopped  every  few  steps  and 
bowed.  Reverently  she  presented  the  bowl,  and  then 
departed,  joy  singing  in  her  heart. 

The  prince  ate  and  was  refreshed.  As  he  con- 
tinued quietly  thinking  of  God  suddenly  his  mind 
was  filled  with  more  light  and  he  understood  by  what 
means  he  was  to  save  the  suffering  people.  It  seemed 
to  him  as  though  the  very  heavens  resounded  with  the 
good  news. 

Then,  the  story  tells  us,  the  devil,  Mara,  as  they 
called  him  in  India,  determined  to  ruin  Gautama  and 
prevent  him  from  teaching.  So  he  gathered  together 
his  hosts  and  tried  to  tempt  and  frighten  the  holy 
prince.  First  he  sent  a  whirlwind.  But  when  it  reached 
Gautama  he  was  so  completely  surrounded  by  the 
presence  of  God  that  it  caused  not  so  much  as  a  flut- 
tering of  his  robes. 

Then  Mara  poured  a  torrent  of  rain  upon  him. 
This,  when  it  touched  the  prince,  was  no  more  than  a 
few  drops  of  dew. 

Then  he  caused  a  shower  of  rocks  in  which  immense 
mountain  peaks  flew  smoking  and  flaming  through  the 
sky.  But  on  reaching  the  future  Buddha  they  became 
a  celestial  bouquet  of  flowers. 

When  Mara  saw  this  he  fled  away  with  his  army  from 
the  bo  tree,  whilst  from  above  a  rain  of  heavenly 
flowers  fell  and  voices  of  good  spirits  were  heard, 
saying: 


160        Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

"Behold  the  great  prophet!  His  mind  unmoved  by 
hatred;  the  hosts  of  the  wicked  one  have  not  overawed 
him.  He  is  pure  and  wise,  loving  and  full  of  mercy." 

This  is  of  course  a  parable,  a  story  to  show  how  evil 
thoughts  and  feelings  may  tempt  us.  But  if  we  refuse 
to  let  these  thoughts  enter  our  minds,  and  think  only 
of  God,  he  protects  us  and  fills  our  hearts  with  the 
flowers  of  love  and  joy. 

The  sun  was  setting  when  the  tempter  left  the 
prince.  As  the  silence  of  the  night  fell  about  him  Gau- 
tama saw  the  truth  which  should  bring  peace  to  man- 
kind. He  was  exalted  with  a  wonderful  joy,  such  as 
only  great  prophets  know.  For  days  he  sat  there,  under 
the  bo  tree,  thinking  of  the  gospel  which  should  save 
the  world.  His  body  was  on  earth ;  his  spirit  in  heaven. 
From  that  time  on  he  was  called  the  Buddha,  which 
means  one  who  is  enlightened  with  the  light  of  God. 

Then,  again,  Mara  came  to  tempt  him. 

"You  now  know  the  joy  of  heaven,"  he  said.  "Let 
your  spirit  leave  your  body  and  float  away  to  the 
heights  of  glory  where  it  shall  abide  forever.  Why 
stay  on  earth  and  teach  the  people?  Now  enter  peace 
eternal,  O  Sublime  One!" 

"Get  thee  hence,  Wicked  One!"  answered  the 
Buddha.  "I  shall  preach  the  way  of  salvation  to  all 
such  as  are  pure  in  heart  and  of  good-will,  so  that  the 
Truth  may  be  spread  abroad  over  the  whole  world  to  the 
joy  and  blessing  of  all  people."  l 

Gautama  had  learned  the  way  to  joy.  He  must 
tell  other  people  of  this  way.  He  loved  them  so 
deeply  he  could  not  leave  them  in  their  poverty  and  sor- 
row until  first  he  had  shared  with  them  the  glad  tidings. 
So  in  his  great  love  for  men  he  started  forth  under  the 
hot  sky,  over  the  dusty  roads,  his  beggar's  bowl  in  his 

1  Adapted  from  The  Way  of  the  Buddha,  Wisdom  of  the  East  Series, 
E.  P.  Button  and  Company. 


Buddha,  the  Light  of  Asia  161 

hand,  to  teach  the  people  of  India  the  path  that  leads 
to  joy  and  peace  eternal. 

III.  BUDDHA  BECOMES  THE  LIGHT  OF  ASIA 

The  first  persons  the  Buddha  met  were  the  five 
monks  who  had  been  his  companions  in  the  forest. 
When  they  saw  the  light  in  his  face  they  stopped 
and  spoke  to  him.  He  told  them  of  his  wonderful 
discovery;  how  as  he  was  sitting  under  the  bo  tree 
he  learned  the  way  to  be  happy;  how  he  was  to  tell  the 
glad  news  to  all  the  people;  and  how  no  one,  if  he 
followed  his  teaching,  need  ever  be  sorrowful  again. 
This  teaching  was  that  there  are  four  noble  truths, 
the  fourth  of  these  being  that  there  is  an  eightfold 
path  that  leads  through  sorrow  to  joy.  "The  eightfold 
path  is  (1)  right  comprehension;  (2)  right  resolutions; 
(3)  right  speech;  (4)  right  acts;  (5)  right  way  of  earn- 
ing a  livelihood;  (6)  right  efforts;  (7)  right  thoughts; 
and  (8)  the  right  state  of  a  peaceful  mind."  l  We 
are  unhappy  because  we  want  our  own  selfish  way. 
We  are  joyful  when  we  give  up  our  own  way,  to  walk 
in  the  better  pathway  of  God's  will.  We  are  miserable 
when  we  are  angry;  we  are  happy  when  we  love  some- 
one. When  we  are  good  and  kind  it  seems  as  though 
a  bird  were  singing  in  our  heart.  Who  are  the  happy 
men  and  women  and  children?  Those  who  are  kind 
and  love  one  another.  The  more  love  there  is  in  our 
hearts,  the  happier  we  are.  That  was  the  good  news 
Buddha  had  for  the  people  of  India. 

The  five  monks  listened  to  his  words.  They  felt  their 
truth  and  were  convinced.  They  became  his  first 
disciples. 

This  little  party,  now  six  in  number,  went  up  and 
down  the  highways  of  India  teaching  the  good  news. 
For  many  years  they  taught,  and  hundreds  of  people 

1  From  The  Gospel  of  Buddha,  by  Paul  Cams. 


162        Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

listened  to  them  and  believed  them.  Leaving  their 
palaces  and  wealth  they  joined  Buddha  and  his  disciples. 
They  donned  the  rough,  yellow  robe  of  the  monk  and 
hung  the  beggar's  bowl  about  then*  necks.  They  had 
no  money,  but  they  were  the  happiest  people  in  India. 
Week  after  week  and  month  after  month  they  travelled 
on  foot  throughout  the  country,  teaching  as  they  went. 
The  only  time  they  rested  was  during  the  rainy  season. 
Then  they  gathered  under  great  shed-like  buildings 
and  the  people  came  to  them  to  hear  the  divine  words 
of  wisdom  from  the  lips  of  the  Buddha. 

During  these  years  the  fame  of  the  Buddha  spread 
throughout  India,  and  his  father,  hearing  of  him,  sent 
to  ask  his  son  to  make  him  a  visit.  A  messenger 
came  with  the  words:  "O  world-honored  Buddha, 
your  father  looks  for  your  coming  as  the  lily  for  the 
rising  of  the  sun." 

Happy  was  Gautama  to  return  to  his  home  and  he 
sent  word  to  his  father:  "The  prince,  having  wandered 
forth  from  home  into  homelessness  to  find  enlighten- 
ment, having  obtained  his  purpose,  is  coming  back." 

Now  the  king  had  been  grieved  because  his  son  had 
given  up  his  kingdom.  But  when  he  went  out  to  meet 
him  and  heard  the  melodious  words  and  felt  the  won- 
derful love  of  the  Buddha  his  sadness  was  changed 
into  joy.  He  saw  how  much  better  it  was  to  bring 
happiness  to  suffering  people  than  just  to  enjoy  one's 
self  in  a  palace. 

After  greeting  his  father  Gautama  went  to  see  his  wife, 
the  princess.  Then  he  learned  that  all  the  tune  he  had 
been  in  the  forest  she  had  spent  in  prayer.  She  had 
cared  nothing  for  the  riches  of  the  king's  court,  "for  the 
high  seats  with  splendid  coverings  on  which  the  other 
princesses  loved  to  sit."  She  had  lived  in  simplicity 
all  these  years.  And  lo,  she,  too,  had  become  saintly. 
Happy  indeed  was  the  Buddha  at  this  good  news. 


Buddha,  the  Light  of  Asia  163 

A  few  days  after  his  arrival  the  princess  dressed 
Rahula  in  his  most  splendid  suit,  and  taking  him  to 
the  palace  window  pointed  out  to  him  the  Buddha 
hi  the  garden  below.  And  she  said  to  Rahula,  "This 
holy  man  whose  appearance  is  so  glorious  is  your 
father.  He  possesses  four  great  mines  of  wealth  which 
I  have  not  yet  seen.  So  go  to  him  and  entreat  him 
to  give  them  to  you,  for  the  son  should  inherit  his 
father's  property." 

Rahula  went  to  Buddha,  and  looking  up  in  his  face 
said  with  much  affection, ' '  My  father ! ' '  Then  he  asked 
for  the  mines  with  all  their  wealth. 

With  his  heart  overflowing  with  love  for  his  little 
son,  Buddha  answered:  "Gold  and  silver  and  jewels 
are  not  hi  my  possession.  But  if  you  are  willing  to 
receive  spiritual  treasures,  and  are  strong  enough  to 
carry  them  and  to  keep  them,  I  shall  give  you  the 
four  truths  which  will  teach  you  the  path  of  righteous- 
ness. Do  you  desire  to  be  admitted  to  our  brother- 
hood and  win  the  inheritance  of  a  holy  life,  that  treasure 
which  shall  never  perish?" 

And  Rahula  replied  with  firmness:  "I  do."  Thus 
he  became  one  of  the  Buddha's  disciples. 

For  many  years  Buddha  and  his  disciples  taught  the 
people  of  India,  leading  them  along  the  pathways  of 
peace  and  joy.  But  at  last  he  was  quite  an  old  man 
and  the  time  had  come  for  him  to  ascend  into  the  glory 
of  the  heavenly  world. 

Ananda,  his  beloved  disciple  stood  weeping  at  the 
door.  Suppressing  his  tears,  he  said  to  the  Buddha: 
"Who  shall  teach  us  when  thou  art  gone?" 

Buddha  replied:  "Do  not  let  yourself  be  troubled; 
do  not  weep.  I  am  not  the  first  Buddha  who  came  upon 
the  earth,  nor  shall  I  be  the  last.  In  due  time  another 
Buddha  will  arise  in  the  world,  a  Holy  One,  a  supremely 
enlightened  One,  a  master  of  angels  and  mortals. 


164        Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

He  will  reveal  to  you  the  same  eternal  truths  that  I 
have  taught  you.    He  will  proclaim  a  religious  life, 
wholly  perfect  and  pure,  such  as  I  now  proclaim." 
Ananda  said;   "How  shall  we  know  him?" 
Buddha  answered:   "He  will  be  known  as  Maitreya 
(My-tra'ya),    which    means    '  he    whose    name    is 
Kindness.'" 


CHAPTER  XIII 
SOCRATES,   THE  UNAFRAID 

IN  ancient  Greece  each  city  was  like  a  little  kingdom. 
Each  of  these  little  kingdoms  was  famous  for  its  heroes. 

Sparta  was  one  of  these  cities.  The  people  there 
were  very  strong  and  courageous.  They  learned  to 
suffer  pain  without  flinching.  They  were  quite  indif- 
ferent as  to  what  happened  to  them. 

They  set  the  children  lessons  which  would  make 
them,  also,  courageous  and  firm  of  will.  When  they 
were  quite  small  they  sent  them  alone  through  dark 
places,  so  they  would  learn  not  to  be  afraid.  They 
trained  them  in  athletics,  in  running  and  jumping, 
to  make  their  muscles  strong  and  hard. 

And  the  children  learned  these  lessons  in  heroic 
fashion.  One  day  a  Spartan  boy  caught  a  fox  and 
came  to  table  with  it  hidden  in  his  coat.  Presently 
the  fox  began  to  bite  him;  but  the  boy  gave  no  sign. 
He  had  been  taught  to  pay  no  attention  to  pain.  And 
it  was  only  when  his  coat  was  stained  with  blood  that 
anyone  knew  he  was  in  trouble. 

Even  now,  when  we  wish  to  say  some  one  is  very 
brave  we  say  he  is  a  Spartan. 

In  Athens,  another  city  of  Greece,  the  people  were 
great  scholars.  They  wrote  books.  They  wrote  plays 
and  acted  them  in  out-of-door  theaters.  They  were 
great  artists  and  sculptors.  They  built  the  beautiful 
Parthenon. 

Now  Socrates,  the  hero  of  this  chapter,  lived  in 
Athens,  and  of  all  the  Athenians  he  was  the  wisest. 
But  he  possessed  more  than  the  learning  of  Athens. 


Socrates,  the  Unafraid  171 

He  was  as  strong  in  body  and  as  courageous  in  mind 
as  the  strongest  Spartan.  For  a  number  of  years 
he  was  a  soldier.  The  cities  of  Greece,  as  we  know, 
were  continually  fighting  one  another,  and  Athens 
needed  all  her  strong  men  for  her  protection. 

One  bitter  winter  the  Athenians  were  carrying  on 
a  campaign  at  Potidaea.  The  soldiers  "put  on  no 
end  of  clothing  and  wrapped  their  feet  in  felt  and 
fleeces.  But  Socrates,  with  his  bare  feet  on  the  ice 
and  in  his  ordinary  dress,  marched  better  than  any 
of  them."  When  rations  were  delayed  he  cheerfully 
went  hungry.  No  one  of  the  soldiers  could  endure 
fatigue  so  well  as  he. 

At  Delium,  once,  the  Athenians  were  defeated  and 
fled  in  panic.  The  pursuing  enemy  struck  down  only 
those  who  were  afraid,  Socrates  retreated  so  calmly 
and  bravely  no  one  dared  touch  him.  It  was  said 
afterwards  that  if  all  had  retreated  as  did  Socrates, 
defeat  would  have  turned  into  victory. 

Socrates  loved  to  exercise  his  mind  and  think  out 
problems.  He  wanted  his  mind  to  be  as  strong  as 
were  his  muscles.  Once,  when  there  was  no  fighting, 
and  the  soldiers  were  all  resting  in  camp  he  got  up 
at  sunrise  and  walked  away  a  short  distance.  He 
was  trying  to  find  the  answer  to  a  problem.  He 
stopped  under  a  tree  and  stood  there,  deep  in  thought. 
All  day  long  he  stood,  thinking  and  thinking.  The 
problem  was  very  difficult. 

The  sun  set,  but  still  Socrates  stood  in  the  same 
place,  thinking  out  his  problem. 

Some  soldiers,  wondering  how  long  he  would  stand 
there,  brought  out  their  mats  and  lay  down  near  him 
so  they  could  watch. 

All  night,  they  said,  Socrates  stood,  lost  in  thought. 
As  the  sun  was  rising  there  came  to  him  the  answer 
he  sought.  Then  quietly  he  walked  away. 


172        Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

Socrates  longed  to  see  the  men  and  women  of  Athens 
as  firm  of  will  and  fearless  of  suffering  as  he  was.  So 
when  he  came  back  from  the  wars  he  began  teaching 
them,  that  is,  sharing  with  them  all  his  knowledge. 
Each  day  he  went  down  to  the  market  place  where 
the  people  gathered,  and  waited  for  some  one  to  come 
and  talk  with  him.  He  was  very  poor  and  the  robe 
he  wore  was  quite  threadbare.  But  that  made  no 
difference  to  him. 

The  rich  and  fashionably  dressed  young  men  of 
the  city  would  come  and  sit  beside  him.  And  for 
hours  at  a  tune  they  would  listen  to  Socrates  while 
he  explained  to  them  how  true  happiness  comes  from 
study  and  thinking  and  good  deeds,  and  not  from 
expensive  clothes  and  houses. 

Socrates  never  wearied  of  teaching.  One  night  he 
attended  a  banquet  given  by  the  young  men  of  Athens. 
All  the  evening  he  kept  telling  the  guests  about  God 
who  rules  the  world,  and  the  beauty  of  goodness. 
They  listened  till  sunrise;  then  they  fell  asleep. 
Whereupon  Socrates  arose  and  left  the  banquet  hall. 
Although  he  had  been  speaking  all  night  he  did  not 
go  home  to  rest.  He  simply  refreshed  himself  with 
a  bath,  and  went  back  to  the  market  place  to  con- 
tinue his  teaching. 

Sometimes  Socrates'  conversations  in  the  streets 
made  enemies.  There  were  men  in  Athens  who  did 
not  want  to  be  taught  by  him.  When  Socrates  told 
them  they  had  done  things  which  were  wrong  they 
became  angry.  When  he  said  they  should  not  worship 
idols,  as  they  were  doing,  they  hated  him. 

So  one  day,  being  much  displeased  with  these  talks 
of  his,  they  brought  him  before  the  court  of  Athens 
to  try  him  for  his  life. 

The  five  hundred  judges  who  made  up  the  court 
sat  where  they  could  all  see  him.  After  they  had  Us- 


Socrates,  the  Unafraid  173 

tened  to  what  his  enemies  had  to  say  against  him  they 
asked  Socrates  to  explain  his  conduct. 

Calm  and  fearless,  he  arose  and  faced  his  enemies. 
He  told  them  that  his  love  for  the  Athenians  had 
prompted  him  to  teach  them.  This  love  had  caused 
him  to  forget  all  about  his  own  affairs.  He  had  thought 
only  of  helping  the  people  of  Athens.  He  taught 
them  because  he  knew  it  was  the  will  of  God.  "And 
now,"  he  said,  standing  there  before  the  court  in  his 
shabby  robe,  "I  am  in  utter  poverty  by  reason  of  my 
devotion  to  God."  But  still  he  was  happy  to  live 
in  poverty  if  only  he  might  serve  God.  The  court 
might  sentence  him  to  be  killed,  said  he,  but  "A  man 
who  is  good  for  anything  ought  not  to  calculate  the 
chance  of  living  or  dying.  He  ought  only  to  con- 
sider whether  in  doing  anything  he  is  doing  right  or 
wrong." 

He  was  like  a  soldier  placed  at  his  post.  His  com- 
mander was  God.  God  bade  him  teach.  He  could 
not  cease  his  teaching  until  his  commander  dismissed 
him.  If  the  court  bade  him  cease  he  would  reply: 
"Men  of  Athens,  I  honor  and  love  you,  but  I  shall 
obey  God  rather  than  you.  I  shall  never  alter  my 
ways,  not  even  if  I  have  to  die  many  times.  My 
only  fear  is  the  fear  of  doing  an  unrighteous  or  unholy 
thing." 

Although  his  defense  was  true,  his  enemies  in  the 
court  condemned  him  to  die. 

He  took  their  verdict  quietly.  He  knew  that  after 
his  death  his  soul  would  fly  into  a  purer  and  better 
world.  Therefore  he  said:  "O  judges,  be  of  good 
cheer  about  death.  Know  this  of  a  truth,  that  no 
evil  can  happen  to  a  good  man  either  in  life  or  after 
death." 

He  was  now  taken  away  to  prison  there  to  await 
his  execution  which  would  occur  in  a  few  days.  Each 


174        Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

night  he  slept  soundly  and  peacefully.  Each  day  he 
spent  in  teaching  the  young  men  who  came  to  see 
him. 

One  morning  a  friend  came  in  and  said  he  could 
arrange  for  him  to  escape  from  prison  and  flee  to 
another  country.  But  Socrates  replied  that  the  good 
man  never  flees  from  danger.  The  good  man  never 
disobeys  the  law.  His  country  had  decreed  he  must 
die.  Therefore  he  must  abide  in  prison  until  the  day 
of  his  execution. 

It  was  decreed  that  he  should  die  by  drinking  a  cup 
of  poison.  He  was  to  drink  it  just  as  the  sun  was 
setting  behind  the  hills. 

As  the  afternoon  drew  to  its  close  Socrates  went 
out  and  had  a  bath.  Then,  fresh  and  serene,  he  re- 
turned to  his  companions.  They  were  broken-hearted 
at  the  thought  of  his  approaching  martyrdom.  Gently 
he  comforted  them,  and  bade  them  not  to  weep. 

As  the  hour  of  sunset  drew  near  the  jailer  entered 
and  said:  "Socrates,  whom  I  know  to  be  the  noblest 
and  gentlest  and  best  of  all  who  ever  came  to  this 
place,  fare  you  well.  You  know  my  errand." 

Socrates  replied:  "I  return  your  good  wishes  and 
will  do  as  you  bid."  Then  turning  to  his  companions, 
he  said:  "How  charming  the  man  is.  Since  I  have 
been  in  prison  he  has  always  been  as  good  as  could  be 
to  me,  and  now  see  how  generously  he  sorrows  for 
me.  Let  the  cup  be  brought  if  the  poison  is  prepared." 

An  attendant  brought  it  to  him.  Cheerfully  he 
raised  it  to  his  lips  and,  breathing  a  prayer  for  a  pros- 
perous journey  from  this  to  the  other  world,  drank  off 
the  poison. 

He  was  cheerful  because,  as  he  had  said  before: 
"When  I  have  drunk  the  poison  I  shall  leave  you  and 
go  to  the  joys  of  the  blest.  .  .  .  (and)  I  shall  have  a 
wonderful  interest  in  a  place  where  I  can  converse 


Socrates,  the  Unafraid  175 

with  Palamedes  and  Ajax  and  other  heroes  of  old  who 
suffered  death  through  an  unjust  judgment."  It  was 
so  interesting  a  place,  he  felt,  that  he  said  to  his 
judges  at  his  trial:  "The  hour  of  departure  has 
arrived,  and  we  go  our  ways  —  I  to  die,  and  you  to 
live.  Which  is  better  only  God  knows." 


CHAPTER  XIV 
JESUS,   THE  HEROIC  MASTER 

I.  THE  MESSIAH  APPEARS 

A  THOUSAND  years  had  passed  since  the  days  of 
the  good  king  David.  The  Hebrews  had  been  con- 
quered by  the  Assyrians,  and  by  the  Babylonians. 
They  had  been  carried  away  to  foreign  countries 
where  most  of  them  had  died.  A  few,  however, 
returned  to  their  beloved  Palestine,  rebuilt  the  cities, 
and  kept  their  little  nation  intact. 

At  last  the  Romans  came  from  across  the  seas, 
made  war  upon  them,  and  after  an  easy  victory  made 
the  poor  Hebrews  Roman  subjects.  They  were 
allowed  to  live  in  their  homes  in  Palestine,  but  each 
town  was  guarded  by  Roman  soldiers  and  a  Roman 
governor  ruled  over  them.  They  also  had  to  pay 
heavy  taxes  to  the  Roman  emperor. 

The  Jews  were  broken-hearted  at  having  their 
independence  taken  away.  Day  and  night  they 
thought  and  talked  of  the  Messiah  whom  God  had 
promised  them  and  of  whom  their  prophets  had  told 
them.  He  would  be  a  king  like  David,  they  said,  a 
mighty  soldier  and  ruler.  He  would  be  a  general, 
and  all  the  Hebrews  would  rally  round  him.  Under 
his  leadership  they  would  attack  the  Romans  and 
drive  them  out  of  Palestine.  Thus  the  Hebrew  people 
would  regain  their  independence.  Every  Jewish 
mother  prayed  that  God  would  send  her  a  little  boy 
baby  who  would  become  this  longed-for  Messiah,  and 
every  Jewish  father  hoped  that  the  Messiah  would 
come  soon  and  release  them  from  the  hated  Romans. 


Jesus,  the  Heroic  Master  179 

We  all  know  the  story:  how  a  Hebrew  man  named 
Joseph  and  his  young  wife  Mary  left  their  home  in 
Nazareth  one  day  and  travelled  to  Bethlehem  to  pay 
their  tax  to  the  Roman  emperor;  how,  when  they 
reached  Bethlehem,  the  only  place  they  could  find 
to  stay  was  a  stable.  But  that  stable  became  more 
beautiful  than  any  palace,  for  that  night  a  little  son, 
Jesus,  was  born  to  them.  This  tiny  baby  was  destined 
to  be  the  great  Messiah. 

Of  Jesus'  life  while  he  was  growing  up  we  know  but 
little.  His  parents  were  very  poor  and  we  can  imagine 
how,  when  he  was  still  a  small  boy,  he  learned  his 
father's  trade  of  carpentering  in  order  to  earn  money 
for  the  family. 

When  he  was  thirty  years  old  a  remarkable  man 
appeared  in  Palestine.  His  name  was  John  the  Baptist. 
He  was  a  man  of  fire,  like  Elijah.  He  declared  he  was 
the  one  who  should  herald  the  coming  of  the  Messiah. 
He  urged  the  people  to  live  holy  lives,  and  there  "went 
out  to  him,  Jerusalem,  and  all  Judea  and  all  the  region 
round  about  Jordan,  and  were  baptized  of  him  in 
Jordan,  confessing  their  sins."  The  baptism  was  a 
beautiful  symbol  by  which  people  showed  that  they 
longed  to  have  their  hearts  cleansed  and  made  pure, 
as  water  cleansed  their  bodies. 

Jesus  went  also  and  asked  to  be  baptized  with  the 
others.  As  he  rose  up  from  the  water  after  his  baptism 
he  saw  a  glorious  vision.  The  Holy  Spirit  of  God 
descended  upon  him  as  gently  as  a  dove  and  a  voice 
from  heaven  said  to  him:  "This  is  my  beloved  son, 
in  whom  I  am  well  pleased."  Then  he  knew  that  he 
was  to  be  the  Messiah  whom  John  was  heralding 
and  for  whom  all  the  people  were  watching. 

He  spoke  to  no  one  about  this  great  knowledge 
which  had  come  to  him,  but  went  quietly  away  by 
himself,  into  the  desert.  There  he  could  think  it  all 


180        Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

out  and  pray  to  God  to  teach  him  how  to  be  a  Messiah 
to  his  people  and  to  the  world.  He  knew  that  the 
Jews  wanted  a  king  who  would  make  them  rich  and 
strong  and  would  conquer  all  the  other  nations.  And 
Jesus  was  sure  that,  with  the  power  which  God  had 
now  bestowed  upon  him,  he  could  easily  accomplish 
this  feat.  Then  when  he  had  become  a  great  ruler  he 
could  compel  the  people  to  obey  God's  laws.  But  he 
put  this  thought  out  of  his  mind,  as  a  temptation 
from  Satan.  God's  kingdom  could  not  be  brought 
to  earth  through  fighting  and  hatred.  God's  methods 
were  love  and  kindness. 

Then  he  wondered  if  he  might  prove  to  the  people 
that  he  was  really  their  Messiah  sent  from  God  by 
performing  some  supernatural  feat,  like  throwing  him- 
self from  the  high  tower  of  the  temple  in  Jerusalem 
and  reaching  the  ground  unhurt.  But  this  also  he 
put  from  hun  as  the  whispering  of  Satan. 

Forty  days  and  nights  Jesus  spent  alone  in  the 
wilderness  praying  to  God.  And  his  pure  heart  was 
filled  with  God's  Holy  Spirit.  He  cared  not  at  all 
what  might  happen  to  him.  His  one  wish  was  to 
tell  God's  message  in  words  so  loving  and  divine  that 
they  would  win  all  the  world  to  God's  new  kingdom. 

When  he  went  back  among  the  people  his  face  was 
radiant  with  the  light  which  came  from  God,  his 
voice  melodious  with  the  love  of  God.  The  people 
came  to  hun  in  crowds  and  gathered  about  him  and 
could  hardly  bear  to  leave  him.  "Never  man  spake 
like  this  man!"  they  said  to  one  another.  Far  and 
wide  spread  the  news  that  a  great  teacher  had  come 
into  Galilee. 

Every  day,  all  day  long,  he  talked  with  the  people 
and  taught  them,  telling  beautiful  stories.  He  also 
healed  many  who  were  sick,  through  the  power  of 
God's  Holy  Spirit 


Jesus,  the  Heroic  Master  181 

One  day  he  met  an  insane  man,  a  maniac.  This 
man  lived  in  tombs  and  in  the  mountains,  and  ter- 
rorized every  one  who  came  near  him.  They  had 
tied  him  with  cords  and  chains,  but  he  rent  the  fetters 
asunder  and  brake  the  chains  in  pieces.  Jesus  spoke 
to  him  with  divine  authority  and  bade  him  be  well, 
and  his  insanity  left  him.  A  few  days  later  the  people 
saw  this  former  maniac,  whom  everyone  had  feared, 
sitting  at  Jesus'  feet  gentle  and  quiet  and  in  his  right 
mind. 

"And  Jesus  went  about  in  Galilee,  teaching  in 
their  synagogues,  and  preaching  the  gospel  of  the 
kingdom,  and  healing  all  manner  of  disease  and  all 
manner  of  sickness  among  the  people."  And  they 
were  amazed  and  exclaimed:  "We  never  saw  it  on 
this  fashion!" 

"And  it  came  to  pass  on  one  of  those  days,  that 
he  was  teaching.  And  there  were  Pharisees  and 
doctors  of  the  law  sitting  by,  who  were  come  out  of 
every  village  of  Galilee  and  Judea  and  Jerusalem. 
And  the  power  of  the  Lord  was  with  him  to  heal.  And 
behold,  men  bring  on  a  bed  a  man  that  was  palsied: 
and  they  sought  to  bring  him  in,  and  to  lay  him  before 
him.  And  not  finding  by  what  way  they  might  bring 
him  in  because  of  the  multitude,  they  went  up  to  the 
housetop,  and  let  him  down  through  the  thatch  with 
his  couch  into  the  midst  before  Jesus.  And  seeing 
their  faith,  he  said,  Man,  thy  sins  are  forgiven  thee. 
And  the  scribes  and  the  Pharisees  began  to  reason, 
saying,  Who  can  forgive  sins  but  God  alone?  But 
Jesus  perceiving  their  reasonings,  answered  and  said 
unto  them,  What  reason  ye  in  your  hearts?  Whether 
it  is  easier  to  say,  Thy  sins  are  forgiven  thee:  or  to 
say,  Arise  and  walk?  But  that  ye  may  know  that 
the  Son  of  man  hath  power  on  earth  to  forgive  sins 
(he  saith  unto  him  that  was  palsied)  I  say  unto 


182        Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

thee,  Arise,  and  take  up  thy  couch,  and  go  unto  thy 
house. 

"And  immediately  he  rose  up  before  them,  and 
took  up  that  whereon  he  lay,  and  departed  to  his 
house,  glorifying  God.  And  amazement  took  hold 
on  all,  and  they  glorified  God;  and  they  were  filled 
with  fear,  saying,  We  have  seen  strange  things 
today." 

Sometimes  people's  bodies  were  well  but  their  minds 
were  sick.  Perhaps  they  became  very  angry  when 
they  were  not  pleased,  or  they  were  jealous  of  one 
another,  or  treated  some  one  cruelly.  When  they  be- 
haved very,  very  badly  it  was  said  they  were  pos- 
sessed by  demons,  for  so  indeed  it  seemed  from  the 
things  which  they  did. 

Jesus  healed  these  people  also.  When  he  spoke  to 
them  his  thrilling  words  of  love  and  kindness  it  seemed 
as  though  a  new  mind  entered  into  them  and  pushed 
the  wicked  mind  out.  They  no  longer  wanted  to  be 
angry  and  cruel.  They  saw  what  happiness  Jesus 
brought  to  people  by  loving  them,  and  they  longed  to 
become  like  him. 

Every  day  the  people  thronged  around  him.  They 
thought  if  they  could  but  touch  the  hem  of  his 
garment  they  would  be  cured  of  all  their  diseases. 
Once,  when  he  was  standing  beside  the  lake  of  Galilee, 
they  crowded  so  close  that  he  had  to  get  into  a  boat 
and  push  out  from  the  shore  in  order  that  all  might 
see  and  hear  him. 

II.  THE  MASTER  AND  HIS  DISCIPLES 

Jesus  now  chose  some  assistants.  They  were  called 
the  twelve  disciples.  A  disciple  means  a  learner. 
He  asked  these  twelve  men  to  leave  their  homes  and 
come  with  him.  He  would  teach  them  and  make 
them  wise  and  courageous.  And  they  could  go  into 


Jesus,  the  Heroic  Master  183 

parts  of  the  country  which  he  could  not  reach  and 
give  many  people  his  heavenly  messages. 

Four  fishermen,  Simon  Peter  and  his  brother  Andrew, 
John  and  his  brother  James,  were  the  first  of  the  dis- 
ciples whom  he  selected.  They  were  busy  mending 
their  nets  on  the  shore  by  the  lake  of  Galilee  when 
Jesus  called  them.  He  bade  them  leave  their  nets 
and  come  with  him.  He  would  make  them  fishers 
of  men. 

The  next  disciple  was  Levi,  the  tax  gatherer.  Levi 
was  employed  by  the  Roman  government  and  was 
sitting  at  the  city  gate  collecting  toll  from  all  who 
passed  when  Jesus  said  to  him:  " Follow  me!"  In- 
stantly he  left  his  seat  and  went  to  him.  He  felt 
the  authority  in  Jesus'  words  and  trusted  him.  He 
became  his  disciple,  and  was  afterward  called  Matthew. 
The  next  morning,  following  the  guidance  of  God, 
Jesus  chose  the  rest  of  the  twelve  disciples. 

To  serve  the  kingdom  of  God  they  gave  up  every- 
thing they  possessed.  The  foxes  had  their  holes  and 
the  birds  of  the  air  their  nests,  but  Jesus  often  had 
not  where  to  lay  his  head.  But  what  wonderful 
tunes  they  had  together,  these  disciples  and  their 
Master!  They  walked  from  city  to  city  proclaiming 
the  glad  news  that  God  had  sent  a  religion  which 
would  bring  joy  to  the  world.  They  healed  the  sick 
and  cast  out  many  demons  of  selfishness  and  sin. 
They  ate  their  meals  together  wherever  they  happened 
to  be,  in  the  desert,  in  the  secluded  places  of  the  moun- 
tains, or  in  some  quiet  cottage  by  the  roadside.  Deeply 
did  they  love  Jesus  and  wonderful  was  his  presence  in 
their  midst.  As  he  broke  the  bread  and  gave  it  to 
them  it  seemed  like  bread  from  heaven. 

One  day  when  Peter  and  James  and  John  were  with 
Jesus  on  a  mountain  top,  praying,  their  spiritual  eyes 
were  opened  and  they  saw  the  spirit  of  Jesus  in  all 


184        Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

its  glory.  His  face  was  shining  like  the  sun.  He 
was  surrounded  with  such  a  splendor  of  light  that 
his  garments  were  glistening  and  white  as  no  fuller 
on  earth  could  whiten  them.  And  beside  him  they 
saw  Moses  and  Elijah.  God  permitted  the  disciples  to 
behold,  for  a  moment,  the  glorious  spirit  which  was 
in  the  body  of  Jesus.  The  sight  was  so  blinding  in 
its  splendor  that  they  fell  to  the  ground  in  fear.  When 
they  looked  up  again  Jesus  was  alone.  Then  they 
heard  a  voice  from  heaven  saying:  "This  is  my  beloved 
son.  Hear  ye  him."  This  told  them  that  the  Jews 
were  to  listen  to  Jesus  and  obey  him.  For  centuries 
they  had  followed  Moses.  But  Jesus  had  better  laws 
for  them  now  and  henceforth  he  was  to  be  their  supreme 
teacher  and  Master. 

Little  by  little  he  began  to  tell  his  new  truth  to 
the  people  of  Palestine.  Then  came  the  trouble 
which  caused  his  crucifixion.  The  Jews  had  a  multi- 
tude of  rules  which  they  said  God  had  given  to  Moses. 
If  any  one  broke  these  rules  he  was  put  to  death.  One 
rule  was  that  no  one  should  do  any  work  on  the  Sabbath 
day.  Even  if  a  man  were  ill  he  must  not  be  helped 
until  the  Sabbath  was  past. 

Jesus  said  this  law  was  wrong.  And  one  Sabbath 
day,  before  a  whole  group  of  Jewish  Pharisees  and 
priests,  he  healed  a  sick  man.  He  said  God  did  good 
on  the  Sabbath.  He  was  God's  son.  His  father 
worked  and  he  must  work.  He  told  the  people  also 
that  God  had  bidden  him  abolish  many  other  laws 
which  they  were  following.  They  were  good  rules 
in  their  time,  but  they  were  now  outgrown,  like  an 
old  garment. 

When  they  heard  this  the  teachers  of  the  Jewish 
religion  became  furious,  and  they  sought  to  put  Jesus 
to  death.  Yet  he  continued  to  go  about  among  them 
fearlessly. 


Jesus ,  the  Heroic  Master  185 

One  day  he  was  teaching  in  the  synagogue  at  Naza- 
reth, his  home  town.  He  told  his  townsmen  that  he 
was  the  great  teacher  whose  coming  was  prophesied 
in  the  Old  Testament.  They  replied  that  he  was  only 
the  son  of  Joseph,  and  they  knew  all  his  family.  In 
fact,  they  said,  his  mother  and  brothers  and  sisters 
were  right  there  in  their  midst.  The  idea  of  his 
claiming  to  be  a  great  prophet!  And  in  their  anger 
they  drove  him  out  of  the  town,  resolved  to  throw 
him  over  a  precipice. 

But  when  they  reached  the  place  they  dared  not 
do  the  dreadful  deed.  There  was  something  about 
him  which  filled  them  with  awe.  And  quietly  he 
passed  out  of  their  midst. 

For  a  year  or  more  Jesus  went  about  in  Galilee, 
teaching  all  who  would  listen,  and,  the  Gospels  tell 
us,  "the  common  people  heard  him  gladly." 

Then  the  voice  of  God  bade  him  go  south,  and  pro- 
claim his  message  hi  Jerusalem.  He  knew  that  if  he 
appeared  in  Jerusalem  the  priests  and  Pharisees 
would  kill  him.  But  steadfastly  he  set  his  face  to  do 
God's  will,  caring  for  nothing  else. 

He  approached  the  city  of  Jerusalem  one  bright 
Sunday.  "And  when  they  drew  nigh  unto  Jeru- 
salem, unto  Bethphage  and  Bethany,  at  the  mount 
of  Olives,  he  sendeth  two  of  his  disciples,  and  saith 
unto  them,  Go  your  way  into  the  village  that  is 
over  against  you.  And  straightway  as  ye  enter  into 
it,  ye  shall  find  a  colt  tied,  whereon  no  man  ever 
yet  sat;  loose  him  and  bring  him.  And  if  any  one 
say  unto  you,  Why  do  ye  this?  say  ye,  The  Lord 
hath  need  of  him;  and  straightway  he  will  send  him 
back  hither. 

"And  they  went  away,  and  found  a  colt  tied  at  the 
door  without  in  the  street:  and  they  loose  him.  And 
certain  of  them  that  stood  there  said  unto  them,  What 


186        Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

do  ye,  loosing  the  colt?  And  they  said  unto  them 
even  as  Jesus  had  said.  And  they  let  them  go. 

"And  they  bring  the  colt  unto  Jesus,  and  cast  on 
him  then*  garments;  and  he  sat  upon  him.  And  many 
spread  then*  garments  upon  the  way;  and  others 
branches,  which  they  had  cut  from  the  fields.  And 
they  that  went  before,  and  they  that  followed,  cried, 
Hosanna;  Blessed  is  he  that  cometh  in  the  name  of 
the  Lord." 

Thus  Jesus  of  Nazareth  entered  Jerusalem.  "Praise 
to  God!  Praise  to  God!"  the  people  shouted;  "blessed 
is  the  King  that  cometh  in  the  name  of  the  Lord." 
Then  "some  of  the  Pharisees  from  the  multitude" 
became  angry  "and  said  unto  him,  Master,  rebuke  thy 
disciples.  And  he  answered  and  said,  I  tell  you  that, 
if  these  shall  hold  their  peace,  the  very  stones  will 
cry  out." 

One  day,  soon  after  this  triumphant  arrival  in  Jeru- 
salem, Jesus  went  into  the  temple.  He  found  the 
beautiful  court  within  the  temple  walls  filled  with 
sheep  and  oxen  and  doves  and  the  men  who  were 
trying  to  sell  them.  The  Jews  still  offered  sacrifices 
just  as  Moses  and  as  Samuel  had  done  centuries  before 
them.  The  merchants  who  sold  the  animals  for 
sacrifice  had  turned  the  sacred  temple  into  a  great 
salesroom  where  they  sat  at  tables,  calling  out  their 
wares  and  taking  in  then*  money. 

What  did  Jesus  do  when  he  saw  this  sight!  He 
made  a  whip  of  small  cords  and  with  that  in  his  hand 
drove  the  men  and  the  sheep  and  the  oxen,  pell-mell, 
out  of  the  temple  court,  back  into  the  street.  He 
poured  out  the  merchants'  money  and  overturned 
their  tables  and  said:  "Take  these  things  hence. 
Make  not  my  Father's  house  a  house  of  merchandise." 

It  was  a  splendid  scene,  Jesus  in  his  rough  peasant's 
clothes,  driving  that  throng  of  men  and  annuals  away 


Jesus,  the  Heroic  Master  187 

from  the  holy  temple.  God  was  with  him  and  his 
power  was  irresistible. 

In  Jerusalem  he  taught  the  people  as  in  Galilee, 
telling  them  the  Pharisees  and  priests  were  wrong, 
and  they  must  now  obey  God's  new  laws  which  he, 
Jesus,  was  giving  them.  This  made  the  priests  very 
angry.  If  the  people  turned  away  from  them  they 
would  lose  then*  leadership  and  their  wealth.  Again 
and  again  they  tried  to  kill  Jesus.  But  each  time  he 
escaped  from  them. 

At  last  they  made  a  bargain  with  Judas  Iscariot, 
one  of  Jesus'  disciples,  to  show  them  where  he  went 
at  night.  They  were  afraid  to  arrest  him  in  the  day- 
time for  the  people  loved  him  and  listened  to  his  words 
and  believed  him  to  be  a  true  prophet.  Each  night 
he  went  out  of  the  city  and  they  did  not  know  where 
to  find  him.  Judas  knew  of  their  plot  and  he  went 
to  the  priests  and  told  them  he  would  take  them  to 
Jesus.  To  do  this  dreadful  deed  they  were  to  pay 
Judas  thirty  pieces  of  silver. 

The  night  of  the  betrayal  Jesus  and  his  twelve 
disciples  ate  supper  together  in  the  upper  room  of  a 
little  house  in  Jerusalem.  Jesus  was  then*  teacher, 
their  Master,  yet  at  this  supper  he  served  the  others 
as  though  he  had  been  their  servant.  As  he  passed 
them  the  bread  he  said  to  them:  "This  is  my  body." 
And  as  they  drank  the  wine,  he  said:  "This  is  my 
blood."  He  meant  that  with  the  food  and  the  wine 
he  gave  them  his  love  and  his  teachings  which  were 
himself.  This  little  ceremony  in  the  last  meal  has 
always  been  called  the  Lord's  Supper. 

When  the  meal  was  nearly  over  he  exclaimed: 
"Verily  I  say  unto  you  that  one  of  you  shall  betray  me." 
Then  turning  to  Judas  he  said:  "What  thou  doest,  do 
quickly." 

At  this  Judas  rose  and  went  out  into  the  night. 


188        Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

He  loved  the  thirty  pieces  of  silver  which  the  priests 
had  offered  him  more  than  he  loved  his  Master  and 
his  soul. 

"When  he  therefore  was  gone  out,  Jesus  saith, 
Little  children,  yet  a  little  while  I  am  with  you.  Ye 
shall  seek  me;  and  as  I  said  to  the  Jews,  so  now  I  say 
to  you,  Whither  I  go  ye  cannot  come.  A  new  com- 
mandment I  give  unto  you,  that  ye  love  one  another; 
even  as  I  have  loved  you,  that  ye  also  love  one  another. 
By  this  shall  all  men  know  that  ye  are  my  disciples, 
if  ye  have  love  one  to  another. 

"  Simon  Peter  saith  unto  him.  Lord,  whither  goest 
thou?  Jesus  answered,  Whither  I  go  thou  canst  not 
follow  me  now;  but  thou  shalt  follow  me  afterwards. 
Peter  saith  unto  him,  Lord,  why  cannot  I  follow  thee 
even  now?  I  will  lay  down  my  life  for  thee.  Jesus 
answereth,  Wilt  thou  lay  down  thy  life  for  me?  Verily 
I  say  unto  thee,  that  thou  today,  even  this  night, 
before  the  cock  crow  twice,  shalt  deny  me  thrice. 
But  Peter  spake  exceeding  vehemently,  If  I  must 
die  for  thee,  I  will  not  deny  thee.  And  in  like  manner 
so  said  they  all." 

And  when  they  had  sung  a  hymn  he  went  forth  with 
his  disciples  unto  a  garden  called  Gethsemane  into 
which  he  entered,  himself  and  his  disciples.  There  he 
went  a  little  apart  from  the  others  to  pray.  He  knew 
the  moment  of  his  betrayal  was  drawing  near.  "And 
he  was  parted  from  them  about  a  stone's  cast;  and  he 
kneeled  down  and  prayed,  saying,  Father  if  thou  be 
willing  remove  this  cup  from  me;  nevertheless,  not 
my  will  but  thine  be  done.  Then  he  cometh  unto  his 
disciples  and  findeth  them  sleeping,  and  saith  unto 
Peter,  What,  could  ye  not  watch  with  me  one  hour? 
Watch  and  pray  that  ye  enter  not  into  temptation." 
But  it  was  late  hi  the  night  and  the  disciples  were  tired 
and  instead  of  praying  they  went  back  to  sleep. 


Jesus,  the  Heroic  Master  189 

Again  Jesus  came  to  them  from  his  prayer,  and 
waked  them  and  urged  them  to  pray,  for  a  mighty 
temptation  was  coming  to  them.  But  again  they 
went  to  sleep. 

The  third  time  he  returned  he  said,  with  infinite 
tenderness:  " Sleep  on  now  and  take  your  rest." 

Suddenly  in  the  darkness  they  heard  a  noise.  A 
crowd  of  soldiers,  armed  with  swords  and  staves  and 
with  lanterns  in  then-  hands  were  pressing  toward 
them  in  search  of  Jesus.  Judas  was  at  the  head  of 
the  group. 

"Arise,"  said  Jesus  to  the  disciples,  "he  that  be- 
trayeth  me  is  at  hand." 

Judas  stepped  up  to  Jesus  and  said,  "  Hail,  Master!" 
and  kissed  him.  He  had  said  to  the  soldiers,  "Whom- 
soever I  shall  kiss,  that  is  he:  take  him."  Quietly 
Jesus  received  the  kiss  of  betrayal,  his  love  for  Judas 
never  changing.  "Friend,"  said  he,  "do  that  for  which 
thou  art  come."  With  his  perfect  love  he  called  the 
man  who  betrayed  him  his  friend. 

One  of  the  disciples  drew  his  sword  and  started  to 
defend  Jesus.  But  the  Master  said  to  him:  "Put 
up  again  thy  sword  into  its  sheath:  for  all  they  that 
take  the  sword  shall  perish  by  the  sword." 

At  that  a  panic  of  fear  entered  into  the  hearts  of 
the  disciples  and  they  all  turned  and  fled,  leaving 
Jesus  alone  with  his  enemies. 

They  hurried  him  back  to  Jerusalem,  to  a  trial 
held  in  the  middle  of  the  night.  He  was  carried  before 
an  assembly  of  Jewish  priests  who  were  waiting  for 
him.  This  imposing  group  was  called  the  Sanhedrin, 
or  Council. 

"Art  thou  the  Messiah?"  they  asked  him. 

In  simple  majesty,  Jesus  replied,  "I  am." 

"What  does  this  peasant  mean  by  calling  himself 
our  Messiah?"  they  said  to  one  another.  "When 


190        Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

our  Messiah  comes  he  will  be  a  king  like  David.  He 
will  come  with  thousands  of  soldiers  and  will  set  up  a 
world  empire.  Away  with  this  man  who  says  he  is 
our  Messiah!" 

They  did  not  know  that  within  the  body  of  Jesus 
there  dwelt  a  spirit  more  powerful  than  David  in  all 
his  splendor.  They  did  not  realize  that  Jesus,  through 
his  teaching,  would  build  a  kingdom  called  Christen- 
dom, and  would  establish  a  vaster  empire  than  any 
of  which  they  could  dream.  So  in  their  blindness 
and  ignorance  they  condemned  their  Messiah  to 
death. 

The  Roman  governor,  Pilate,  confirmed  their 
verdict  and  pronounced  sentence.  He  was  afraid  of 
displeasing  them.  And  the  next  day  they  crucified 
their  divine  teacher,  the  Christ  whom  God  had  sent 
to  them. 

But  where  were  the  disciples  all  this  time  that  Jesus 
stood  before  the  Sanhedrin?  As  we  know,  they  fled 
away  when  the  soldiers  surrounded  him.  Peter,  afar 
off,  turned  back  and  followed  the  crowd  into  the  house 
where  they  took  his  Master.  He  did  not  go  to  Jesus, 
but  stopped  in  the  outer  room  and  warmed  his  hands 
by  the  fire.  The  night  was  cold. 

"And  a  certain  maid,  seeing  Peter  as  he  sat  in 
the  light  of  the  fire,  and  looking  steadfastly  upon  him, 
said,  This  man  also  was  with  him.  But  he  denied, 
saying,  Woman,  I  know  him  not.  And  after  a  little 
while  another  saw  him,  and  said,  Thou  also  art  one 
of  them.  But  Peter  said,  Man,  I  am  not.  And  after 
the  space  of  about  one  hour  another  confidently  af- 
firmed, saying,  Of  a  truth  this  man  also  was  with  him: 
for  he  is  a  Galilean.  But  Peter  said,  Man,  I  know  not 
what  thou  sayest.  And  immediately,  while  he  yet 
spoke,  the  cock  crew.  And  Jesus  turned,  and  looked 
upon  Peter.  And  Peter  remembered  the  word  of 


Jesus.,  the  Heroic  Master  191 

Jesus  how  he  said  unto  him,  Before  the  cock  crow 
this  day,  thou  shalt  deny  me  thrice.  And  he  went 
out  and  wept  bitterly." 

The  morning  following  the  arrest  the  Jews  crucified 
Jesus.  They  nailed  him  to  a  cross.  On  either  side 
of  him  they  placed  a  thief,  whom  they  also  crucified. 
Jesus'  love  for  his  enemies  never  failed:  even  though 
they  killed  him  he  loved  them.  Just  before  his  death 
he  breathed  a  prayer  for  his  persecutors,  saying, 
"  Father,  forgive  them,  for  they  know  not  what  they 
do." 


HOW  JESUS'   DISCIPLES  BECAME 
HEROES 


CHAPTER  XV 
HOW   JESUS'    DISCIPLES  BECAME    HEROES 

[Most  of  the  passages  from  Acts  quoted  in  this  chapter  and  the  next 
are  taken  from  the  Twentieth  Century  New  Testament,  copyright  by 
Fleming  H.  Revell  Company,  used  by  permission  of  the  publishers.] 


"AND  after  these  things  Joseph  of  Arimathsea,  being 
a  disciple  of  Jesus,  but  secretly  for  fear  of  the  Jews, 
asked  of  Pilate  that  he  might  take  away  the  body  of 
Jesus:  and  Pilate  gave  him  leave.  He  came  therefore, 
and  took  away  his  body.  And  there  came  also  Nico- 
demus,  bringing  a  mixture  of  myrrh  and  aloes.  So 
they  took  the  body  of  Jesus,  and  bound  it  in  linen 
cloths  with  the  spices,  as  the  custom  of  the  Jews  is 
to  bury.  Now  in  the  place  where  he  was  crucified 
there  was  a  garden;  and  in  the  garden  a  new  tomb 
wherein  was  never  man  yet  laid.  There  then  they 
laid  Jesus." 

This  all  happened  on  Friday.  Before  sundown  the 
friends  of  Jesus  left  the  garden,  for  the  Jewish  Sabbath 
began  at  sunset  on  Friday  and  lasted  until  sunset  on 
Saturday,  and  nothing  could  be  done  during  those 
hours.  The  next  evening,  when  the  Sabbath  was  over, 
these  same  men  probably  returned  and  carried  Jesus' 
body  away  to  its  final  resting  place. 

But  what,  now,  was  to  become  of  Jesus'  teaching, 
of  his  plan  to  save  the  world?  Was  it  all  to  disappear 
and  had  he  lived  and  died  for  nothing? 

No  indeed,  for  Jesus  was  God's  Messiah  and  God's 
plans  for  the  world  cannot  fail. 


202        Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

For  the  first  two  days  after  the  crucifixion  the  little 
band  of  followers  was  overwhelmed  with  fear  and  dis- 
couragement. But  on  the  morning  of  the  third  day 
something  happened  which  made  them  into  very 
different  people. 

Three  of  the  women  who  had  believed  in  Jesus  saw 
a  resplendent  vision.  Some  say  Mary  Magdalene 
was  the  first  to  see  it.  Some  think  the  women  all 
saw  it  together.  These  women  went  out  to  the  garden 
to  the  tomb  where  they  knew  Jesus'  body  had  been 
laid.  There  in  the  garden,  instead  of  finding  the  body 
of  their  Master  as  they  had  expected,  Jesus  himself 
appeared  to  them,  —  a  wonderful,  spiritual  Jesus,  whom 
only  the  eyes  of  the  spirit  could  see.  And  he  spoke 
to  them  and  told  them  not  to  be  afraid,  for  he  was 
with  them  just  as  much  as  before  his  crucifixion. 
Then  they  realized  that  it  did  not  matter  what  the 
Jews  might  do  to  his  body,  Jesus'  spirit  they  could 
not  touch. 

Then1  sorrow  was  changed  into  joy.  They  ran 
back  to  Jerusalem  and  found  the  disciples  and  told 
them  the  good  news.  Soon  they,  too,  realized  that 
no  one  could  kill  a  divine  Master  like  Jesus.  No  one 
could  touch  his  spirit.  Nothing  could  hurt  his  teach- 
ings. What  if  the  soldiers  did  crucify  his  body;  his 
spirit  and  his  gospel,  his  love  and  his  sayings  would 
spread  and  grow  until  they  conquered  the  world. 

Then  courage  and  hope  came  into  the  minds  of  the 
disciples.  Christ's  strength  entered  into  then*  wills, 
his  love  into  then*  hearts. 

It  was  such  a  wonderful  morning,  that  on  which 
the  disciples  discovered  that  then*  Christ  was  living, 
that  all  over  the  Christian  world  it  is  celebrated.  We 
call  it  Easter  and  on  that  day  sing  songs  of  joy 
because  our  Christ  is  immortal. 

The  disciples  now  resolved  to  devote  then-  lives  to 


How  Jesus'  Disciples  Became  Heroes      203 

the  spreading  of  Christ's  teaching  through  the  world. 
They  met  together  often  in  those  first  days.  Perhaps 
they  met  in  the  upper  room  of  some  little  house;  maybe 
the  meeting  place  was  outside  the  city.  They  prayed 
together  that  God  would  give  them  the  Christlike 
spirit  to  strengthen  them.  And  Jesus  appeared  to 
them  in  wonderful  visions  and  their  faith  and  courage 
became  unshakeable. 

One  day  as  they  prayed  together  the  Holy  Spirit 
of  God  came  upon  them  with  the  force  of  a  rushing, 
mighty  wind.  A  divine  light  appeared  in  the  room 
and  breaking,  hung  like  a  tongue  of  fire  over  each  of 
them.  And  God  cleansed  their  hearts  of  all  selfishness 
and  filled  them  with  a  love  like  the  Christ's. 

Up  to  this  time  they  had  held  their  meetings  in 
great  secrecy  for  fear  of  the  Jews.  But  after  this 
experience  they  went  forth  into  the  streets  of  Jeru- 
salem and  began  teaching  Jesus'  message.  They  were 
so  happy  and  spoke  with  such  power  that  on  that  very 
day  hundreds  of  people  were  converted  to  Jesus'  teach- 
ing. We  call  this  day  the  Day  of  Pentecost.  On  this 
day  the  eleven  disciples  became  heroes.  Their  love  for 
the  Christ  made  them  strong  enough  to  walk  in  his 
footsteps,  fearless  of  what  the  Pharisees  and  priests 
might  do  to  them. 

The  disciples  now  had  but  one  thought.  How 
might  they  spread  the  glad  tidings  of  Jesus  throughout 
the  whole  world?  They  were  only  a  little  band,  and 
the  task  was  immense.  But  they  entered  the  campaign 
with  all  their  heart  and  soul  and  strength.  Jesus, 
their  captain,  was  leading  them  on.  Whom  should 
they  fear?  For  his  sake  they  would  fight  a  good  fight. 

After  the  day  of  Pentecost  they  separated  in  order 
that  they  might  travel  to  different  places  and  tell 
many  people  about  Christ.  They  were  now  called 
apostles,  which  means  teachers. 


204        Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

Jesus  had  said  to  them:  "I  send  you  forth  as  lambs 
in  the  midst  of  wolves.  But  take  nothing  for  your 
journey;  neither  staff  nor  purse  nor  bread  nor  money; 
neither  two  coats."  God  clothes  the  wild  flowers 
and  feeds  the  birds.  How  much  more  would  he  feed 
and  clothe  his  apostles! 

When  they  entered  a  village  they  would  go  to  the 
home  of  some  one  who  seemed  good  and  spiritual. 
They  would  tell  the  people  there  the  glad  tidings  of 
Christ's  law  of  love.  If  they  were  invited  to  remain 
they  would  stay  in  that  house  and  from  there  teach 
the  Gospel  to  all  who  would  listen.  They  did  not 
remain  long  in  any  one  place,  perhaps  only  a  few  days. 
Then  they  would  go  to  the  next  village  with  their 
joyous  message.  They  won  many  converts,  both  men 
and  women.  Some  of  these  became  apostles  too, 
and  they  also  started  out  to  travel  and  teach. 

The  Book  of  Acts  which  contains  many  stories  of 
the  apostles'  adventures  tells  us  that  one  day  "an 
angel  of  the  Lord"  said  to  Philip,  who  was  one  of  the 
twelve  disciples:  "Set  out  on  a  journey  southwards, 
along  the  road  that  runs  down  from  Jerusalem  to 
Gaza." 

"So  Philip  set  out  on  a  journey;  and  on  his  way 
he  came  upon  an  official  of  high  rank,  in  the  service 
of  Candace,  Queen  of  the  Abyssinians.  He  was  her 
Treasurer,  and  had  been  to  Jerusalem  to  worship,  and 
was  now  on  his  way  home,  sitting  in  his  carriage  and 
reading  the  Prophet  Isaiah.  The  Spirit  said  to  Philip: 

"  'Go  up  to  the  carriage  yonder  and  keep  close  to  it.' 

"So  Philip  ran  up,  and  he  heard  the  Abyssinian 
reading  the  Prophet  Isaiah. 

"'Do  you  understand  what  you  are  reading?'  he 
asked. 

"'How  can  I/  the  other  answered,  'unless  some  one 
will  explain  it  to  me? '  and  he  invited  Philip  to  get  up 


How  Jesus'  Disciples  Became  Heroes      205 

and  sit  by  his  side.    The  passage  of  Scripture  which 
he  was  reading  was  this: 

' '  Like  a  sheep  he  was  led  away  to  his  slaughter, 

And  as  a  lamb  is  dumb  in  the  hands  of  its  shearer, 
So  he  refrains  from  opening  his  lips. 

In  his  lowly  condition  justice  was  denied  him. 

Who  will  tell  the  story  of  his  generation? 
For  his  life  is  cut  off  from  earth.' 

"'Now,'  said  the  Treasurer,  addressing  Philip,  'tell 
me,  of  whom  is  the  Prophet  speaking?  Of  himself,  or 
of  someone  else?' 

"Then  Philip  began,  and,  taking  this  passage  as  his 
text,  told  him  the  Good  News  about  Jesus.  Presently, 
as  they  were  going  along  the  road,  they  came  to  some 
water,  and  the  Treasurer  exclaimed: 

" 'Look!  here  is  water;  what  is  to  prevent  my  being 
baptized? ' 

"  So  he  ordered  the  carriage  to  stop,  and  they  went 
down  into  the  water — both  Philip  and  the  Treasurer — 
and  Philip  baptized  him." 

II.    THE  HEROIC  TEACHING  OF  THE  APOSTLES 

Now  Peter  and  John  stayed  in  Jerusalem  to  teach 
there.  "One  day,  as  they  were  going  up  into  the 
Temple  Courts  for  the  three  o'clock  Prayers,  a  man, 
who  had  been  lame  from  his  birth,  was  being  carried  by. 
This  man  used  to  be  set  down  every  day  at  the  gate 
of  the  Temple,  called  'the  Beautiful  Gate,'  to  beg  of 
those  who  went  in.  Seeing  Peter  and  John  on  the 
point  of  entering,  he  asked  them  to  give  him  something. 
Peter  fixed  his  eyes  on  him,  and  so  did  John,  and  then 
Peter  said:  'Look  at  us.' 

"The  man  was  all  attention,  expecting  to  get  some- 
thing from  them;  but  Peter  added: 


206        Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

"'I  have  no  gold  or  silver,  but  I  give  you  what  1 
have.  In  the  Name  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Nazareth  I  bid 
you  walk.' 

"Grasping  the  lame  man  by  the  right  hand,  Peter 
lifted  him  up.  Instantly  the  man's  feet  and  ankles 
became  strong,  and,  leaping  up,  he  stood  and  began 
to  walk  about,  and  then  went  with  them  into  the 
Temple  Courts,  walking,  and  leaping,  and  praising 
God.  All  the  people  saw  him  walking  about  and 
praising  God;  and,  when  they  recognized  him  as  the 
man  who  used  to  sit  begging  at  the  Beautiful  Gate  of 
the  Temple,  they  were  utterly  astonished  and  amazed 
at  what  had  happened  to  him." 

On  seeing  their  astonishment,  Peter  said  to  the 
people:  "Ye  men  of  Israel,  why  marvel  ye  at  this 
man?  or  why  fasten  ye  your  eyes  on  us,  as  though  by 
our  own  power  or  godliness  we  had  made  him  to  walk? 
It  is  faith  hi  the  name  of  Jesus,  the  very  Guide  to 
Life,  whom  ye  put  to  death,  that  hath  given  this  man 
perfect  soundness  in  the  presence  of  you  all." 

"While  Peter  and  John  were  still  speaking  to  the 
people,  the  Chief  Priests  came  up  to  them,  much  an- 
noyed because  they  were  teaching  the  people.  They 
arrested  the  Apostles  and,  as  it  was  already  evening, 
had  them  placed  in  custody  till  the  next  day.  Many, 
however,  of  those  who  heard  the  Apostles'  message 
became  believers  in  Christ,  the  number  of  the  men 
alone  amounting  to  about  five  thousand." 

The  following  morning  the  priests  and  the  leading 
men  of  Jerusalem  gathered  together,  and  commanded 
Peter  and  John  to  be  brought  before  them.  The 
lame  man  whom  the  apostles  had  healed  was  also 
brought  in. 

"By  what  power,"  they  asked,  "or  in  whose  name 
have  men  like  you  done  this  thing?" 

At  this  question,  Peter,  filled  with  the  Holy  Spirit, 


Hmo  Jesus'  Disciples  Became  Heroes      207 

made  a  wonderful  address, — Peter,  who  only  a  few 
weeks  before  had  deserted  Jesus  in  the  garden  of 
Gethsemane  and  had  declared  three  times,  on  the 
night  of  Jesus'  trial,  that  he  did  not  know  him!  Now 
he  stood  before  the  great  Sanhedrin,  the  same  group 
of  men  who  had  crucified  Jesus.  And  he  said  to  them: 
"In  the  name  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth  whom  ye  crucified, 
whom  God  hath  raised  from  the  dead,  even  in  him 
doth  this  lame  man  stand  here  before  you  whole." 
Was  not  Peter's  transformation  more  wonderful,  even, 
than  the  healing  of  the  lame  man?  John,  too,  was 
as  brave  as  Peter. 

"When  the  Council  saw  how  boldly  Peter  and  John 
spoke,  and  found  that  they  were  uneducated  men  of 
humble  station,  they  were  surprised,  and  realized 
that  they  had  been  companions  of  Jesus.  But,  when 
they  looked  at  the  man  who  had  been  healed,  standing 
there  with  them,  they  had  nothing  to  say.  So  they 
ordered  them  out  of  court,  and  then  began  consulting 
together. 

"'What  are  we  to  do  with  these  men?'  they  asked 
one  another. 

"'That  a  remarkable  sign  has  been  given  through 
them  is  obvious  to  everyone  living  in  Jerusalem,  and 
we  cannot  deny  it.  But,  to  prevent  this  thing  from 
spreading  further  among  the  people,  let  us  warn  them 
not  to  speak  in  this  Name  any  more  to  anyone  what- 
ever.' 

"  So  they  called  the  Apostles  in,  and  ordered  them  not 
to  speak  or  teach  in  the  Name  of  Jesus.  But  Peter 
and  John  replied:  'We  cannot  help  speaking  of  what 
we  have  seen  and  heard. ' ' 

The  priests  set  them  at  liberty.  They  did  not  dare 
do  them  any  injury  at  that  time,  for  fear  of  the  people. 
And  Peter  and  John  went  back  among  the  people  and 
continued  to  teach  with  great  joy  and  courage. 


208        Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

"The  people  were  full  of  their  praise,  and  still  larger 
numbers,  both  of  men  and  women,  as  they  became 
believers  in  the  Lord,  were  added  to  their  number. 
The  consequence  was  that  people  would  bring  out 
their  sick  even  into  the  streets,  and  lay  them  on  mat- 
tresses and  mats,  in  the  hope  that,  as  Peter  came  by, 
at  least  his  shadow  might  fall  on  some  one  of  them. 
Besides  this,  the  inhabitants  of  the  towns  round 
Jerusalem  flocked  into  the  city,  bringing  with  them 
then*  sick,  and  they  were  cured  every  one." 

Then  the  High  Priest  became  very  angry.  And 
he  had  Peter  and  John  arrested  again  and  put  into 
prison.  In  the  night,  however,  in  some  way  which 
we  do  not  understand,  the  apostles  escaped.  When 
the  day  dawned  there  they  were  in  the  court  of  the 
temple,  teaching. 

Then  the  Chief  Priests  sent  their  soldiers  to  the 
temple  and  had  them  arrested  for  the  third  tune  and 
brought  them  before  the  Sanhedrin  to  be  tried. 

"Why,"  they  asked,  "when  we  strictly  charged  you 
not  to  teach  in  this  Name  have  you  filled  all  Jerusalem 
with  your  teaching?" 

Fearlessly  Peter  replied:  "We  must  obey  God 
rather  than  men.  God  raised  up  Jesus  to  be  a  prince 
and  savior,  whom  ye  slew,  hanging  him  on  a  cross." 

At  these  words  the  priests  were  minded  to  slay  them. 
"But  Gamaliel,  a  Pharisee,  who  was  a  Doctor  of  the 
Law  and  who  was  held  in  universal  respect,  rose  in 
the  Council,  and  directed  that  the  men  should  be 
taken  out  of  court  for  a  little  while."  When  they 
were  gone  he  told  the  Council  that  many  false  prophets 
had  arisen  in  Palestine.  But  in  a  short  time  they  and 
their  followers  had  disappeared.  "'And/  said  Gama- 
liel, 'my  advice  to  you  is  not  to  interfere  with  these 
men,  but  to  let  them  alone,  for,  if  then*  designs  and 
their  work  are  merely  of  human  origin,  they  will  come 


How  Jesus'  Disciples  Became  Heroes      209 

to  an  end;  but,  if  they  are  of  divine  origin,  you  will 
be  powerless  to  put  an  end  to  them  —  or  else  you  may 
find  yourselves  fighting  against  God!' ' 

The  Council  took  his  advice,  for  Gamaliel  had  high 
standing  among  them.  They  called  the  apostles  to 
them,  beat  them,  and  charged  them  not  to  speak  in 
the  Name  of  Jesus,  and  let  them  go. 

Peter  and  John  left  the  Council  rejoicing  that  they 
had  been  permitted  to  suffer  for  the  sake  of  their 
Master.  Had  he  not  said  to  them:  " Blessed  are  you 
when  men  shall  persecute  you  for  my  sake.  Rejoice 
and  be  exceeding  glad,  for  great  is  your  reward  in 
heaven."  And  every  day  in  the  temple  and  at  home 
they  ceased  not  to  preach  Jesus  as  the  Messiah. 

Now  there  was  a  young  man  in  Jerusalem  named 
Stephen  who  had  become  a  believer  in  Christ.  He 
also  was  teaching  the  people  with  wonderful  power. 
One  day  when  he  was  teaching,  some  of  the  enemies 
of  the  Cause  began  to  argue  with  him.  Stephen 
answered  their  questions  so  wisely  that  they  were 
unable  to  reply.  This  made  them  very  angry,  to 
think  that  they  had  been  silenced  before  all  the 
people.  They  had  Stephen  arrested  and  brought  be- 
fore the  Council.  They  paid  witnesses  to  make  false 
charges  against  him.  After  listening  to  these  false 
charges  the  High  Priest  said  to  Stephen:  "Is  this 
true?" 

Then  Stephen,  standing  before  the  great  Council 
replied  to  the  High  Priest.  He  was  strong  and  fear- 
less, filled  with  God's  Holy  Spirit.  He  told  them  how 
God  had  sent  many  prophets  to  the  Hebrew  people, 
Abraham,  Moses,  and  others.  How  the  people  had 
persecuted  each  prophet  when  he  tried  to  teach  them. 
And  when  at  last,  Jesus,  the  Messiah,  had  come  they 
had  crucified  him. 

"And  now,"  cried  Stephen,  his  face  shining  like 


210        Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

that  of  an  angel,  his  eyes  gazing  steadfastly  into 
heaven,  "I  see  the  heavens  opened  and  Jesus,  the  Son 
of  Man,  standing  on  the  right  hand  of  God." 

At  these  words,  beside  themselves  with  rage,  the 
priests  rushed  upon  Stephen.  They  drove  him  out- 
side the  city  and  began  to  stone  him. 

As  they  were  stoning  him  to  death  Stephen  kneeled 
down  and  prayed  to  God  for  his  persecutors,  saying 
with  a  loud  voice:  "Lord,  lay  not  this  sin  to  then* 
charge."  "And  when  he  had  said  this,"  says  our 
Bible,  "he  fell  asleep."  Thus  he  died  like  his  Master, 
praying  for  his  enemies. 

"On  that  very  day  a  great  persecution  broke  out 
against  the  Church  which  was  in  Jerusalem;  and  its 
members,  with  the  exception  of  the  Apostles,  were 
scattered." 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  PAUL 


CHAPTER  XVI 
THE  ADVENTURES  OF  PAUL 

I.    How  SAUL  BECAME  PAUL 

WHEN  the  mob  stoned  Stephen  they  took  off  their 
long  cloaks  and  laid  them  at  the  feet  of  a  young  man 
named  Saul.  And  Saul  stood  by,  watching  the  mob 
and  approving  what  they  did. 

Saul  was  a  Jew.  He  had  been  educated  by  the 
Jewish  Pharisees  and  priests  in  their  very  best  schools. 
He,  too,  was  determined  to  stamp  out  the  teachings 
of  Jesus,  and  he  led  the  persecutions  which  followed 
the  stoning  of  Stephen.  He  entered  one  house  after 
another,  dragged  out  both  men  and  women,  and  threw 
them  into  prison. 

Not  content  with  persecuting  the  Christians  in 
Jerusalem  he  decided  to  go  to  the  city  of  Damascus 
to  see  if  he  could  find  any  followers  of  Jesus  there. 
And  he  went  to  the  High  Priest  and  asked  him  for 
letters  giving  him  permission  to  arrest  anyone  he 
found  in  Damascus  who  believed  that  Jesus  was  the 
Messiah.  His  plan  was  to  have  these  people  put  in 
chains  and  brought  to  Jerusalem.  There  they  would 
be  thrown  into  prison. 

With  the  High  Priest's  letters  in  his  pocket  Saul 
started  out  to  cross  the  mountains  and  deserts  which 
lay  between  Jerusalem  and  Damascus. 

His  journey  was  almost  ended  and  he  was  drawing 
near  to  Damascus,  when  suddenly,  in  the  silence  of 
the  desert,  a  wonderful  thing  happened: 

" There  shone  round  about  him  a  light  out  of  heaven; 
and  he  fell  to  the  earth,  and  heard  a  voice  saying  unto 


The  Adventures  of  Paul  215 

him,  •  Saul,  Saul,  why  persecutes!  thou  me? '  And  he 
said, '  Who  art  thou,  Lord? '  The  voice  answered, '  I  am 
Jesus,  whom  thou  art  persecuting.  But  arise  and  go 
into  the  city  and  you  will  be  told  what  you  must  do. ' 

"When  Saul  got  up  from  the  ground,  though  his 
eyes  were  open,  he  could  see  nothing.  So  his  men 
led  him  by  the  hand,  and  brought  him  into  Damascus; 
and  for  three  days  he  was  unable  to  see,  and  took 
nothing  to  eat  or  to  drink. 

"  Now  there  was  at  Damascus  a  disciple  named 
Ananias,  to  whom,  hi  a  vision,  the  Lord  said:  'Ananias.' 

"'Yes,  Lord/  he  answered. 

"'  Go  at  once/  said  the  Lord,  'to  the  Straight  Street, 
and  ask  at  Judas'  house  for  a  man  named  Saul,  from 
Tarsus.  He  is  at  this  moment  praying,  and  he  has 
seen,  in  a  vision,  a  man  named  Ananias  coming  in 
and  placing  his  hands  on  him,  so  that  he  may  recover 
his  sight.' 

" '  Lord,'  exclaimed  Ananias, '  I  have  heard  from  many 
people  about  this  man — how  much  harm  he  has  done 
at  Jerusalem  to  your  people  there.  And,  here,  too, 
he  holds  authority  from  the  Chief  Priests  to  put  in 
chains  all  those  who  invoke  your  Name.' 

"But  the  Lord  said  to  him:  'Go,  for  this  man  is  my 
chosen  instrument  to  uphold  my  Name  before  the 
Gentiles  and  then*  kings,  and  the  people  of  Israel. 
I  will  myself  show  him  all  that  he  has  to  suffer  for  my 
Name.' 

"So  Ananias  went,  entered  the  house,  and,  placing 
his  hands  on  Saul,  said : 

"  'Saul,  my  brother,  I  have  been  sent  by  the  Lord — 
by  Jesus,  who  appeared  to  you  on  your  way  here — so 
that  you  may  recover  your  sight  and  be  filled  with 
the  Holy  Spirit.' 

"  Instantly,  it  seemed  as  if  a  film  fell  from  Saul's  eyes, 
and  his  sight  was  restored.  Then  he  got  up  and  was 


216        Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

baptized,  and,  after  he  had  taken  food,  he  felt  his 
strength  return. 

"  Saul  stayed  for  some  days  with  the  disciples  who 
were  at  Damascus,  and  at  once  began  in  the  Syna- 
gogues to  proclaim  Jesus  as  the  Son  of  God.  All  who 
heard  him  were  amazed. 

"'Is  not  this,'  they  asked,  'the  man  who  worked 
havoc  in  Jerusalem  among  those  that  invoke  this  Name, 
and  who  had  also  come  here  for  the  express  purpose 
of  having  such  persons  put  in  chains  and  taken  before 
the  Chief  Priests?' 

"Saul's  influence,  however,  kept  steadily  increasing, 
and  he  confounded  the  Jews  who  lived  in  Damascus 
by  the  proofs  that  he  gave  that  Jesus  was  the 
Christ. 

"After  some  time  the  Jews  laid  a  plot  to  kill  Saul, 
but  it  became  known  to  him.  They  even  watched 
the  gates  day  and  night,  to  kill  him;  but  his  disciples 
let  him  down  by  night  through  an  opening  in  the  wall, 
lowering  him  in  a  basket. 

"  On  his  arrival  in  Jerusalem,  Saul  attempted  to  join 
the  disciples,  but  they  were  all  afraid  of  him,  as  they 
did  not  believe  that  he  was  really  a  disciple.  Barnabas, 
however,  taking  him  by  the  hand,  brought  him  to  the 
Apostles,  and  told  them  the  whole  story  of  how  Saul 
on  his  journey  had  seen  the  Lord,  and  how  the  Lord 
had  talked  to  him,  and  how  in  Damascus  he  had  spoken 
out  fearlessly  in  the  Name  of  Jesus,  talking  and  argu- 
ing with  the  Jews  of  foreign  birth,  who,  however,  made 
attempts  to  kill  hrn." 

After  these  happenings  Saul  went  away,  out  into 
the  Arabian  desert.  He  wanted  to  be  alone  to  think 
about  his  wonderful  vision  and  the  change  which 
had  come  over  him.  He  found  that  instead  of  hating 
people  he  now  loved  them;  instead  of  wanting  to 
kill  the  Christians  because  they  believed  in  the  Christ, 


The  Adventures  of  Paul  217 

he,  too,  believed  in  the  Christ  and  longed  to  teach  his 
Gospel. 

The  persecutor  Saul  was  a  new  man.  He  even 
changed  his  name  so  he  would  have  nothing  left  of 
the  old  life.  From  this  tune  he  was  called,  not  Saul, 
but  Paul. 

After  a  while  he  came  back  to  Palestine  and  went 
down  to  Jerusalem.  He  wanted  to  see  Peter  and 
talk  with  him  about  Jesus.  There  in  Jerusalem  he 
found  Peter  and  with  him  was  James,  Jesus'  brother, 
who  was  now  a  disciple.  They  probably  told  him 
many  stories  about  Jesus'  life  on  earth;  how  they 
had  loved  to  walk  with  him  over  the  hills  of  Galilee; 
how  they  ate  their  frugal  meals  with  him;  how  he 
lived  in  the  light  of  God's  presence;  how  he  was 
crucified,  and  how  his  teachings  would  conquer  the 
world. 

After  staying  in  Jerusalem  a  few  days  Paul  started 
north,  to  tell  the  good  news  of  Jesus'  life  and  teachings 
and  to  summon  the  people  to  the  new  Kingdom.  He 
was  like  a  man  with  a  handful  of  diamonds.  "Come," 
he  cried  to  the  people,  "take  some  of  my  treasures. 
They  will  make  you  joyous  and  happy.  The  diamonds 
of  love  and  purity  which  I  offer  to  you  will  make  you 
rich  in  this  world  and  in  the  worlds  to  come." 

Paul  longed  to  tell  many  people  in  many  places 
about  the  wonderful  life  of  the  Christ.  So,  after 
teaching  in  Palestine  he  decided  to  go  to  Greece.  He 
had  lived  in  the  Greek  city  of  Tarsus  when  he  was  a 
boy  and  he  knew  how  wicked  and  selfish  the  Greeks 
and  Romans  had  become.  He  had  seen  the  men  and 
women,  the  girls  and  the  boys  gather  to  watch  the 
gladiators  fight  with  wild  beasts  in  the  arena.  He 
knew  how  these  people  would  kill  thousands  of  beau- 
tiful nightingales  and  serve  their  tongues  at  their  ban- 
quets. The  way  to  help  them  was  to  tell  them  about 


218        Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

Jesus.     Whoever    followed    his    teachings    would    be 
changed,  even  as  Paul  himself  had  been  changed. 

Paul  was  but  one  man  and  there  were  millions  of 
people  to  be  told  the  glad  tidings.  But  he  did  not 
have  to  work  alone.  He  was  God's  apostle  and  God 
would  not  let  him  fail. 


II.    EUROPE'S  GREATEST  CONQUEROR 

So  Paul  started  out  to  tell  the  Roman  world  about 
Jesus.  A  young  man  named  Barnabas  went  with  him. 
The  apostle  Mark  also  travelled  with  him  for  a  while. 

There  were  many  Jews  living  in  the  cities  of  Greece 
and  Asia  Minor.  They  had  their  own  synagogues 
where  they  held  their  meetings.  When  Paul  arrived 
in  a  Roman  city  he  would  go  to  the  Jewish  synagogue 
when  a  meeting  was  to  be  held.  When  an  opportunity 
came  he  would  stand  up  and  begin  to  speak.  First 
he  would  tell  how  Moses  and  the  prophets  had  come 
to  the  Hebrews  in  the  past,  and  would  remind  the 
people  of  all  that  the  prophets  had  done  for  them. 
Then  he  would  tell  about  Jesus  and  would  close  with 
the  joyous  words:  " Today  the  greatest  of  all  the 
prophets,  God's  Messiah,  has  appeared.  He  lived 
down  in  Palestine.  He  was  crucified.  But  now  he 
is  risen  and  rules  in  glory,  the  king  of  the  hearts  of 
those  who  love  him." 

When  he  spoke  thus  some  of  the  Jews  listened  with 
gladness.  Others  turned  on  him  in  fury.  Could  a 
carpenter  be  their  king?  they  would  cry.  And  they 
would  throw  Paul  out  of  the  synagogue. 

He  would  then  gather  together  the  few  people  whose 
hearts  were  receptive  and  pure.  Perhaps  a  dozen  of 
them  would  meet  in  someone's  home.  There  he 
would  tell  them  more  about  Jesus  and  would  encourage 
them  to  become  Christians.  As  they  listened  to  his 


The  Adventures  of  Paul  219 

words  God's  Holy  Spirit  would  enter  their  hearts, 
also.  And  soon  they  would  tell  the  good  news  to 
their  neighbors. 

Paul  would  then  go  to  the  next  city.  He  would 
speak  in  the  synagogue  there  in  the  same  way;  and 
the  people  whose  hearts  were  softened  would  listen 
with  joy. 

Soon,  however,  Jews  from  the  city  he  had  just  left 
would  come  and  set  the  multitude  against  him;  and 
they  would  attack  him  and  perhaps  stone  him  out  of 
the  town.  He  would  go  on  his  way,  rejoicing  that 
he  could  suffer  something  for  the  sake  of  his  beloved 
Christ. 

In  their  journeying  Paul  and  Barnabas  arrived  at 
the  town  of  Lystra  in  Asia  Minor.  Paul  gathered  a 
group  of  people  around  him,  in  the  street,  and  began 
speaking  to  them.  Then,  the  book  of  Acts  tells  us,  a 
surprising  thing  happened: 

"In  the  streets  of  Lystra  there  used  to  sit  a  man 
who  had  no  power  in  his  feet;  he  had  been  lame  from 
his  birth,  and  had  never  walked.  This  man  was  listen- 
ing to  Paul  speaking,  when  Paul,  fixing  his  eyes  on  him, 
and  seeing  that  he  had  the  faith  to  be  healed,  said 
loudly:  ' Stand  upright  on  your  feet.' 

"The  man  leaped  up  and  began  walking  about,  and 
the  crowd,  seeing  what  Paul  had  done,  called  out  in 
the  Lycaonian  language:  'The  gods  have  made  them- 
selves like  men  and  have  come  down  to  us."; 

The  people  of  Asia  Minor  believed  that  there  were 
many  gods.  They  even  had  names  for  them  all. 
They  now  said  Paul  was  Mercury  and  Barnabas  was 
Jupiter.  And  they  ran  and  brought  oxen  and  gar- 
lands of  flowers,  intending  to  offer  sacrifices  before 
them. 

When  the  two  apostles  heard  of  their  intentions 
Paul  cried  out  in  great  distress:  "Friends,  why  are 


220        Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

you  doing  this?  We  are  only  men  like  yourselves,  and 
we  have  come  with  the  Good  News  that  you  should 
turn  away  from  these  follies  to  the  living  God."  And 
he  told  them  how  Jesus  had  come  to  the  world  to 
make  God  known  to  men.  But  even  then  he  could 
hardly  restrain  the  people  from  offering  sacrifices  to 
them,  so  wonderful  in  their  eyes  was  the  healing  of 
the  lame  man. 

Soon,  however,  all  was  changed.  Jews  from  the 
cities  which  the  apostles  had  just  left  came  on  to  Lystra 
and  told  the  people  that  Paul  was  an  imposter.  And 
this  same  crowd  which  had  declared  Paul  and  Barnabas 
were  gods  come  down  from  the  skies  turned  upon 
them  and  stoned  them.  Sorely  indeed  did  these  people 
need  Jesus'  teaching  of  love. 

They  thought  Paul  was  killed  and  they  carried  him 
outside  the  city  and  left  him  there,  some  of  those  who 
believed  in  him  remaining  with  him. 

But  Paul  was  filled  with  the  Holy  Spirit  of  Christ. 
God  healed  him,  and  he  arose  and  went  back  into  the 
city.  He  feared  nothing  on  earth  because  he  was 
Christ's  apostle. 

In  this  way,  in  spite  of  stoning  and  many  other 
persecutions,  Paul  and  his  companions  travelled  from 
city  to  city.  In  each  town  they  found  a  little  group 
of  people  who  believed  them.  We  call  these  groups 
the  first  Christian  churches. 

At  last,  Paul,  Christ's  general,  crossed  the  Hellespont 
and  started  out  to  conquer  Europe.  Two  young  men, 
Timothy  and  Silas,  were  his  army.  Their  king  was  the 
invisible  Christ.  They  wore  the  full  armor  of  God, 
that  shining  armor  whose  belt  is  truth,  whose  breast- 
plate is  righteousness,  whose  shoes  are  the  glad  tidings 
of  peace,  whose  shield  is  faith,  whose  helmet  is  the  hope 
of  the  salvation  of  the  world,  whose  sword  is  the  Holy 
Spirit  flaming  bright  in  the  word  of  God.  With  these 


The  Adventures  of  Paul 

invincible  weapons  they  began  the  conquest  of  the 
western  world. 

Philippi,  in  Macedonia,  was  the  first  halting  place 
of  the  little  army.  There,  on  the  Sabbath  day,  they 
went  outside  the  city  gate  and  spoke  to  a  group  of 
women  by  the  side  of  the  river.  One  of  these  women 
was  named  Lydia.  God  had  touched  her  heart  and 
she  gave  heed  to  the  things  which  were  spoken  by 
Paul.  She  believed  him  and  became  a  Christian. 
She  invited  the  apostles  to  stay  at  her  home  in  Philippi. 

When  they  had  been  in  Philippi  a  short  time  a 
strange  thing  happened.  While  they  were  teaching, 
a  girl  half  out  of  her  mind  would  shout  and  distract 
the  audience.  At  last  one  day  Paul,  the  spirit  of 
God  shining  in  his  eyes,  looked  at  her  and,  in  the  Name 
of  Christ,  bade  her  be  quiet.  Immediately  her  mind 
was  made  whole. 

Now  there  were  some  men  who  pretended  that  the 
girl  could  tell  fortunes.  They  took  money  from 
people  who  wanted  to  hear  what  she  said.  When  Paul 
healed  her  she  would  not  tell  fortunes  any  more.  This 
made  these  men  angry.  She  would  now  make  no 
more  money  for  them.  So  this  is  what  they  did: 

"They  seized  Paul  and  Silas,  dragged  them  into  the 
public  square,  and  took  them  before  the  magistrates. 
After  beating  them  severely  the  magistrates  put  them 
in  the  gaol,  with  orders  to  the  governor  of  the  prison 
to  keep  them  in  safe  custody.  On  receiving  so  strict 
an  order,  the  governor  put  them  into  the  inner  cell 
and  secured  their  feet  in  the  stocks. 

"  About  midnight,  while  Paul  and  Silas  were  praying 
and  singing  hymns  to  God,  and  while  the  prisoners 
were  listening  to  them,  suddenly  there  was  an  earth- 
quake of  such  violence  that  the  gaol  was  shaken  to 
its  foundations;  all  the  doors  flew  open,  and  all  the 
prisoners'  chains  were  loosened.  Roused  from  his 


222        Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

sleep,  and  seeing  the  prison  doors  open,  the  governor 
drew  his  sword  intending  to  kill  himself,  in  the  belief 
that  the  prisoners  had  escaped.  But  Paul  called  out 
loudly: 

"'Do  not  harm  yourself,  we  are  all  here.' 

"  Calling  for  a  light,  the  governor  rushed  in,  and  flung 
himself  trembling  at  the  feet  of  Paul  and  Silas.  Then 
he  led  them  out,  and  said: 

"'What  must  I  do  to  be  saved?' 

"'Believe  in  Jesus,  our  Lord/  they  replied,  'and  you 
shall  be  saved,  you  and  your  household  too.' 

"Then  they  spoke  to  him  of  God's  message,  and  to 
all  his  household  as  well.  And  that  very  hour  of  the 
night  he  took  them  and  washed  their  wounds,  and  he 
himself  and  everyone  belonging  to  him  were  baptized 
without  delay.  Afterwards  he  took  them  up  to  his 
house  and  set  before  them  something  to  eat,  rejoicing 
that  he,  with  all  his  household,  had  come  to  believe 
in  God." 

In  the  morning  the  magistrates  set  them  free.  After 
going  to  the  home  of  Lydia  and  talking  a  while  with 
those  who  had  become  believers  they  left  Philippi 
and  went  on  to  the  next  town. 

At  last  Paul  arrived  at  the  beautiful  city  of  Athens 
in  Greece.  "His  heart  was  stirred  at  seeing  the  whole 
city  full  of  idols.  So  he  argued  in  the  Synagogue  with 
the  Jews  and  with  those  who  joined  their  worship, 
as  well  as  daily  in  the  public  square  with  those  who 
happened  to  be  there."  In  his  talk  he  told  them 
about  the  Christ. 

There  were  many  learned  men  in  Athens,  called 
philosophers.  They  used  to  sit  and  argue  and  argue 
with  one  another  and  think  they  had  tune  for  nothing 
else.  When  they  heard  that  Paul  had  something 
new  to  tell  they  sent  and  had  him  brought  to  them 
so  they  could  hear  about  it. 


The  Adventures  of  Paul  223 

Paul  took  his  stand  before  them  and  made  a  splendid 
address.  He  told  them  that  in  going  about  the  city 
of  Athens  he  had  come  upon  an  altar  with  this 
inscription  upon  it, — "TO  AN  UNKNOWN  GOD."  Now 
he  wanted  to  tell  them  about  this  unknown  God  for 
he  was  the  only  God,  and  the  gods  they  worshipped 
were  idols.  Then  he  told  how  a  son  of  God,  the 
Christ,  had  come  to  earth  and  lived  and  taught  in 
Palestine. 

When  he  finished,  most  of  them  jeered  and  laughed 
at  him.  But  a  few  believed  what  he  said  and  became 
Christians. 

To  be  laughed  at  made  no  more  difference  to  Paul 
than  to  be  stoned.  He  continued  to  teach  those  who 
would  listen  to  him.  Then  he  left  Athens  and  went 
to  Corinth. 

Up  to  this  tune  Paul  had  stayed  in  each  town  but 
a  short  while.  But  in  Corinth  he  found  so  many 
people  who  believed  his  message  that  he  stayed  there 
for  a  year  and  a  half,  teaching  every  day. 

Another  place  where  he  stayed  for  some  time  was 
the  city  of  Ephesus  in  Asia  Minor.  In  both  these 
cities  he  started  splendid  churches.  So  many  people 
came  to  believe  hi  him  in  Ephesus  that  one  day  they 
gathered  up  all  their  books  which  taught  things  they 
now  knew  were  wrong  and  burned  them  in  a  great 
bonfire  in  the  street.  They  afterwards  counted  up 
what  they  had  paid  for  these  books  and  found  it 
amounted  to  fifty  thousand  pieces  of  silver.  (About 
$25,000.) 

But  at  last  Paul  had  trouble  in  Ephesus.  The 
people  there  thought  there  was  a  goddess,  named 
Diana,  who  ruled  over  the  city.  The  jewelers,  or 
silversmiths  as  they  were  called,  made  little  silver 
images  of  Diana  and  sold  them  to  the  Ephesians,  who 
worshipped  these  idols.  Paul  told  them  there  was  no 


224        Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

such  person  as  Diana.  They  believed  Paul  and  stopped 
buying  these  silver  idols.  Soon  so  many  believed  him 
that  the  silversmiths  had  nearly  lost  their  trade. 

This  made  them  very  angry;  their  business  was 
being  ruined.  So  one  day  they  all  ran  out  into  the 
street  together  and  began  shouting,  "Great  is  Diana 
of  the  Ephesians!" 

Soon  the  city  was  filled  with  confusion.  The 
people  rushed  with  one  accord  into  the  theater  and 
seized  Paul's  companions  and  dragged  them  along. 
Paul  tried  to  go  in  where  all  this  was  happening,  but 
the  other  disciples  would  not  let  him.  In  the  theater 
some  were  shouting  one  thing  and  some  another,  for 
the  crowd  was  all  in  confusion,  most  of  those  present 
not  even,  knowing  why  they  had  come  together.  A 
Jew  named  Alexander  pushed  to  the  front  and  waved 
his  hand  to  show  that  he  wanted  to  speak.  But 
when  they  recognized  him  as  a  Jew  they  would  not 
listen  to  him.  One  cry  broke  from  them  all,  and  they 
continued  shouting  for  about  the  space  of  two  hours: 
"Great  is  Diana  of  the  Ephesians!" 

What  they  did  to  Paul  we  do  not  know;  but  at  last 
the  magistrates  quieted  the  crowd,  and  Paul  left  the 
city. 

Thus  he  travelled  from  city  to  city  in  Asia  Minor 
and  southern  Europe.  Sometimes  he  went  alone. 
Sometimes  he  had  two  or  three  companions.  Every- 
where he  went  he  told  the  story  of  Jesus'  life  and  his 
teaching  about  God.  Hundreds  of  people  believed 
him  and  became  Christians.  They  had  never  seen 
Jesus.  They  had  no  books  to  read.  They  had  nothing 
but  Paul's  word  that  his  story  was  true.  But  Paul 
was  radiant  with  love  and  joy.  The  spirit  of  the 
Christ  shone  in  his  face  and  strengthened  his  words. 
And  those  who  were  pure  in  heart  knew  that  he  spoke 
God's  message  to  them. 


The  Adventures  of  Paul  225 

III.    THE  SHIPWKECKED  PRISONER 

After  many  years  spent  in  telling  the  people  of 
Greece  and  Asia  Minor  the  good  news  of  Christ's 
kingdom,  Paul  decided  to  return  to  Jerusalem.  Before 
setting  out  he  visited  once  more  the  cities  where  he 
had  started  churches.  He  wanted  to  say  farewell 
to  all  his  friends,  for  he  might  never  return  to  see  them. 

First  he  went  to  Troas.  There  the  Christians 
gathered  one  Sunday  evening  in  the  third-story  room 
of  a  house  to  have  supper  with  their  beloved  teacher. 
Paul,  full  of  the  message  he  had  for  them,  talked  until 
midnight.  Most  of  them  listened  eagerly.  But  a 
young  man  who  was  sitting  in  the  window  was  over- 
come by  the  heat  of  the  room  and  went  to  sleep.  No 
sooner  had  he  fallen  asleep  than  he  tumbled  out  of 
the  window,  down  to  the  ground  below.  They  all 
ran  downstairs  thinking  he  was  killed.  But  Paul, 
putting  his  arms  around  him  said:  "Make  ye  no  ado, 
for  his  life  is  in  him."  And  they  took  the  lad  away 
alive,  and  were  not  a  little  comforted. 

The  rest  of  the  little  band  followed  Paul  back  up- 
stairs, where  he  continued  to  talk  to  them  until  the 
day  broke.  With  the  rising  of  the  sun  he  departed, 
so  strong  in  spirit  that  he  walked  all  the  fifteen  miles 
to  Assos.  From  there  he  sailed  to  Miletus. 

At  Miletus  a  group  of  people  from  his  strong  church 
in  Ephesus  came  down  to  say  their  good-bye.  Paul 
gave  them  a  beautiful  talk.  "Behold,"  he  said,  "I 
go  under  the  constraint  of  the  spirit  unto  Jerusalem, 
not  knowing  the  things  that  shall  befall  me  there  save 
that  the  Holy  Spirit  plainly  declares  to  me  that  in 
every  city  bonds  and  afflictions  await  me.  And  now, 
behold  I  know  that  ye  shall  see  my  face  no  more." 
When  he  had  spoken  these  words  he  knelt  down  and 
prayed.  "All  were  in  tears;  and  throwing  their  arms 


226        Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

round  Paul's  neck,  they  kissed  him  again  and  again, 
grieving  most  of  all  over  what  he  said — that  they  would 
never  see  his  face  again.  Then  they  escorted  him  to 
the  ship." 

When  Paul  and  his  party  landed  at  Caesarea  on  the 
coast  of  Palestine  his  friends  plead  with  him  not  to 
go  on  to  Jerusalem.  If  the  Jews  had  persecuted  him 
in  the  cities  of  the  West,  they  argued,  what  would 
they  do  to  him  in  Jerusalem,  their  home!  But  Paul 
replied:  "I  am  ready  not  only  to  be  bound,  but  even 
to  suffer  death  at  Jerusalem  for  the  name  of  the  Lord 
Jesus." 

He  had  been  in  Jerusalem  but  a  week  when  disaster 
befell  him.  He  went  one  day  to  worship  in  the  Temple 
and  there  some  of  the  Jews  who  had  been  his  enemies 
in  western  Asia  saw  him.  Immediately  they  began 
to  shout  and  quickly  stirred  up  a  mob  against  him. 
And  the  people  ran  together  and  they  laid  hold  on 
Paul  and  dragged  him  out  of  the  temple.  Just  as 
they  were  seeking  to  kill  him  word  came  to  the  chief 
captain  that  all  Jerusalem  was  in  confusion.  The 
captain  hurried  to  the  spot  and  rescued  him,  and  asked 
what  he  had  done.  Some  of  the  people  shouted  one 
thing,  some  another.  So  the  captain  took  him  pris- 
oner. On  the  way  to  prison  Paul  obtained  permission 
to  address  the  angry  crowd.  He  told  them  the  beau- 
tiful story  of  his  conversion  on  the  road  to  Damascus. 
But  as  soon  as  he  said  that  Christ  had  chosen  him  to 
teach  the  Gentiles  they  became  furious  again  and  all 
shouted  together:  " Away  with  this  fellow  from  off  the 
earth,  for  it  is  not  meet  that  he  should  live!" 

The  next  day  Paul  was  brought  before  the  High 
Priest  and  the  Jewish  Council  for  his  trial.  But  in 
the  midst  of  trying  him  they  began  to  argue  with  one 
another  over  something  he  said  about  Christ's  resur- 
rection. There  arose  such  a  great  clamor  that  the 


The  Adventures  of  Paul  227 

captain,  fearing  lest  Paul  should  be  torn  to  pieces  by 
them,  carried  him  off  to  prison. 

While  he  was  safe  in  the  prison  a  number  of  Jews, 
more  than  forty,  made  a  vow  that  they  would  not 
eat  or  drink  anything  until  they  had  killed  Paul. 
Their  plot  was  to  attack  him  when  he  was  on  his  way 
to  the  Council  for  another  trial.  Paul  heard  of  the 
plot  and  told  the  captain.  So  the  captain  sent  him 
off,  in  the  night,  to  Csesarea. 

At  Csesarea  he  was  kept  in  prison  for  two  years. 
The  Roman  governor,  Felix,  said  that  he  could  not 
see  that  he  had  done  anything  wrong.  Still,  to  please 
the  Jews,  who  said  he  was  "a  pestilent  fellow,"  Felix 
refused  to  release  him. 

At  last  Paul  asked  to  be  sent  to  Rome,  to  be  tried 
by  the  Emperor.  This  request  the  governor  was 
obliged  to  grant  because  Paul  was  a  Roman  citizen. 
There  was  a  law  that  if  a  Roman  citizen  asked  to  be 
sent  to  Rome  to  be  tried,  his  petition  must  be  granted. 

So  Paul  was  sent  as  a  prisoner  to  Italy.  He  had 
an  ocean  voyage  full  of  adventure.  All  went  well  at 
first.  But  after  they  had  passed  the  island  of  Crete 
there  arose  a  terrible  storm.  To  save  the  ship  they 
began  throwing  the  freight  overboard.  The  third 
day  of  the  storm  they  cast  the  ship's  tackle  and  fur- 
nishings into  the  sea.  For  several  days  and  nights 
the  tempest  was  so  black  that  they  saw  neither 
sun  nor  stars.  At  last  all  hope  of  being  saved  was 
given  up. 

They  were  very  weary  and  had  gone  a  long  time 
without  food.  It  was  then  that  Paul  came  forward 
and  said:  "My  friends,  I  urge  you  not  to  lose  courage, 
for  there  will  not  be  a  single  life  lost  among  you, 
only  the  ship.  Therefore,  courage,  my  friends:  for 
I  believe  in  God." 

"It  was  now  the  fourteenth  night  of  the  storm, 


228        Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

and  we  were  drifting  about  in  the  Adriatic  Sea,  when, 
about  midnight,  the  sailors  began  to  suspect  that 
they  were  drawing  near  land.  So  they  took  soundings, 
and  found  twenty  fathoms  of  water.  After  waiting 
a  little,  they  took  soundings  again,  and  found  fifteen 
fathoms.  Then,  as  they  were  afraid  of  our  being 
driven  upon  some  rocky  coast,  they  let  go  four  anchors 
from  the  stern,  and  longed  for  daylight.  The  sailors 
wanted  to  leave  the  ship,  and  had  lowered  the  boat,  on 
pretence  of  running  out  anchors  from  the  bows,  when 
Paul  said  to  the  Roman  officer  and  his  men: 

" '  Unless  the  sailors  remain  on  board,  you  cannot  be 
saved.'  Upon  that  the  soldiers  cut  the  ropes  which 
held  the  boat,  and  let  her  drift  away.  In  the  interval 
before  daybreak  Paul  kept  urging  them  all  to  take 
something  to  eat. 

"  'It  is  a  fortnight  today/  he  said,  'that,  owing  to 
your  anxiety,  you  have  gone  without  food,  taking 
nothing.  So  I  urge  you  to  take  something  to  eat; 
your  safety  depends  upon  it,  for  not  one  of  you  will 
lose  even  a  hair  of  his  head.' 

"  With  these  words  he  took  some  bread,  and,  after 
saying  the  thanksgiving  to  God  before  them  all,  broke 
it  in  pieces,  and  began  to. eat;  and  the  men  all  felt 
cheered  and  had  something  to  eat  themselves.  There 
were  about  seventy-six  of  us  on  board,  all  told.  After 
satisfying  then*  hunger,  they  further  lightened  the 
ship  by  throwing  the  grain  into  the  sea. 

"  When  daylight  came,  they  could  not  make  out  what 
land  it  was,  but,  observing  a  creek  in  which  there  was 
a  beach,  they  consulted  as  to  whether  they  could  run 
the  ship  safely  into  it.  Then  they  cast  off,  and  aban- 
doned the  anchors,  and  at  the  same  tune  unlashed 
the  gear  of  the  steering  oars,  hoisted  the  foresail  to 
the  wind,  and  made  for  the  beach.  They  got,  how- 
ever, into  a  kind  of  channel,  and  there  ran  the  ship 


The  Adventures  of  Paul 

aground.  The  bows  stuck  fast  and  could  not  be 
moved,  while  the  stern  began  breaking  up  under  the 
strain.  The  advice  of  the  soldiers  was  that  the  pris- 
oners should  be  killed,  for  fear  that  any  of  them  should 
swim  away  and  make  their  escape.  But  the  Roman 
officer,  anxious  to  save  Paul,  prevented  their  carrying 
out  their  intention,  and  ordered  that  those  who  could 
swim  should  be  the  first  to  jump  into  the  sea  and  try 
to  reach  the  shore;  and  that  the  rest  should  follow, 
some  on  planks,  and  others  on  different  pieces  of  the 
ship.  In  these  various  ways  everyone  managed  to  get 
safely  ashore. 

"  When  we  were  all  safe,  we  found  that  the  island 
was  called  Malta.  The  natives  showed  us  marked 
kindness,  for  they  lit  a  fire  and  took  us  all  under  shelter, 
because  it  had  come  on  to  rain  and  was  cold.  Paul 
had  gathered  a  quantity  of  dry  sticks  and  laid  them 
on  the  fire,  when  a  viper,  driven  out  by  the  heat, 
fastened  on  his  hand.  When  the  natives  saw  the 
creature  hanging  from  his  hand,  they  said  to  one 
another: 

'"  Evidently  this  man  is  a  murderer,  for,  though  he 
has  been  saved  from  the  sea,  Justice  has  not  allowed 
him  to  live.' 

"  However,  Paul  shook  the  creature  off  into  the  fire, 
and  took  no  harm.  The  natives  were  expecting 
inflammation  to  set  in,  or  that  he  would  suddenly  fall 
dead;  but,  after  waiting  for  a  long  time,  and  seeing 
that  there  was  nothing  amiss  with  him,  they  changed 
their  minds  and  said  that  he  was  a  god." 

After  spending  three  months  on  the  island  the 
captain  took  Paul  on  to  Rome.  There  the  apostle 
was  allowed  to  have  his  own  house  but,  for  safe  keep- 
ing, he  was  chained  to  a  soldier. 

"For  two  whole  years  Paul  stayed  in  a  house  which 
he  rented  for  himself,  welcoming  all  who  came  to  see 


230        Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

him,  proclaiming  the  Kingdom  of  God,  and  teaching 
about  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  with  perfect  fearlessness, 
unmolested." 

What  happened  at  the  end  of  the  two  years  we  do 
not  know.  Many  believe  that  Paul  with  other 
Christians  was  martyred  in  the  days  of  the  emperor 
Nero. 

Ever  the  brave  soldier  of  Christ,  Paul,  after  twenty 
years  of  persecution,  stoning,  and  imprisonment  wrote 
to  his  Christian  friends  at  Philippi:  "I  have  learned 
in  whatsoever  condition  I  am  therein  to  be  content." 

As  his  life  was  nearing  its  end  he  wrote  to  his  "true 
child  in  the  faith,"  Timothy:  "I  have  fought  the  good 
fight,  I  have  finished  the  course,  I  have  kept  the  faith." 


AN  HEROIC  BROTHERHOOD 


CHAPTER  XVII 
AN  HEROIC  BROTHERHOOD 

PAUL  and  the  apostles  were  Christ's  adventurous 
generals.  Their  task  was  to  establish  little  assemblies 
throughout  the  Roman  empire,  called  churches.  These 
churches  would  carry  on  the  conquest  of  the  world  to 
God's  new  kingdom  when  the  apostles  had  left  this 
earth. 

The  churches  were  members  of  a  divine  fraternity. 
Their  charter  was  Christ's  Gospel.  They  took  in  rich 
and  poor  alike;  anyone  who  wished  might  join.  Even 
thieves  and  outcasts,  if  they  repented  their  ways,  were 
welcomed  into  this  loving  brotherhood. 

The  initiation  was  very  simple.  The  candidate 
said,  "I  believe  that  Jesus  is  God's  Christ."  Then 
he  was  taken  to  a  lake  or  a  stream  or  to  an  indoor 
pool  and  baptized.  As  he  was  dipped  beneath  the 
water  everyone  prayed  that  his  heart  might  be  washed 
and  made  pure  by  the  Holy  Spirit.  Often  the  person 
to  be  baptized  would  put  on  a  spotless  white  robe. 
This  was  a  way  of  showing  that  he  longed  to  become 
holy  through  Jesus'  teachings. 

This  fraternity  had  two  beautiful  secrets.  First, 
God  had  sent  to  the  world  a  beloved  son,  named  Jesus, 
the  Christ.  His  teachings  and  love  were  going  to 
save  the  world.  Second,  some  day  in  the  future  God 
would  send  a  Christlike  son  again.  This  second  secret 
they  whispered  to  each  other  joyfully.  And  they 
prayed  together  for  his  coming. 

In  those  early  times  the  Christians  so  loved  one 
another  that  they  were  like  brothers  and  sisters  of  one 


An  Heroic  Brotherhood  235 

divine  family,  of  one  heart  and  soul.  In  the  church 
at  Jerusalem  those  who  had  lands  or  property  sold 
them  and  gave  the  money  to  the  Apostles.  Every 
day  the  Apostles  took  a  sum  from  this  common  fund 
and  distributed  it  among  the  little  band,  giving  to  each 
according  to  his  need.  Thus  there  was  no  poverty 
among  the  early  followers  of  Jesus,  for  the  rich  gladly 
shared  their  possessions  with  the  poor.  "He  that 
seeth  his  brother  hath  need,"  they  said,  "and  shutteth 
up  his  heart  from  his  brother,  how  dwelleth  the  love 
of  God  in  him?" 

In  those  days  the  members  of  Christ's  fraternity 
had  no  chapter  houses.  So  they  met  in  someone's 
parlor  or  upstairs  room.  They  would  eat  their  supper 
together  and  pray  that  they  might  all  become  invincible 
soldiers  in  Jesus'  army. 

When  the  Romans  began  to  attack  and  persecute 
them  because  they  would  not  worship  idols  the  Chris- 
tians had  to  hide  and  hold  their  meetings  in  secret 
lest  they  be  imprisoned  and  killed.  One  by  one,  when 
night  came  on,  they  would  steal  away  through  unfre- 
quented streets  to  their  meeting  place  which  was  often 
some  stone  quarry  outside  the  city. 

Those  who  lived  near  Rome  cut  tunnels  down  into 
the  great  rocks.  Little  by  little  they  hewed  rooms 
under  the  ground.  Here  they  held  their  meetings. 
After  a  while  they  connected  these  different  rooms 
with  more  underground  tunnels.  These  places  are 
called  the  catacombs.  They  are  still  shown  to  visitors. 
In  these  catacombs,  far  down  in  the  ground,  hundreds 
of  Christians  lived  and  sang  their  hymns.  And  as 
they  prayed,  the  darkness  of  their  caverns  became 
glorious  with  God's  presence. 

The  city  of  Caesarea,  near  Jerusalem,  was  a  place 
where  many  Christians  lived.  What  must  have  been 
their  consternation  when  one  day  the  governor  sent 


236        Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

out  a  decree  that  everyone  who  refused  to  worship  the 
Roman  idols  would  be  killed! 

Now  there  were  three  kinds  of  Christians.  First, 
those  who  were  very  strong  and  brave,  so  brave  that 
they  were  ready  to  die  for  their  Christ  at  any  moment. 
Second,  those  who  longed  to  be  brave,  yet  were,  oh, 
so  afraid  that  if  they  were  taken  to  the  executioner's 
stand  they  would  not  have  the  courage  to  die.  And 
third,  those  who,  when  they  were  about  to  be  killed 
denied  the  Christ  and  saved  their  lives.  That  was 
what  the  Roman  persecutors  demanded.  If  a  Christian 
declared  that  he  believed  in  the  Roman  idols  and  did 
not  believe  in  Jesus  they  spared  his  life.  This  third 
kind  were  called  apostates,  or  those  who  denied. 

In  Caesarea  there  lived  a  girl  named  Dorothea.  Her 
family  belonged  to  the  nobilty  of  the  city.  She  was 
gentle  and  frail  and  trembled  at  the  thought  of  pain. 
She  belonged  to  the  second  kind  of  Christians.  Night 
and  day  she  prayed  that  God  would  give  her  the  courage 
to  endure  her  martyrdom.  She  must  not  become  an 
apostate! 

At  last,  one  day  the  soldiers  came  and  carried  her 
off.  And  Dorothea,  serene  and  fearless,  because  of 
her  prayers,  went  to  her  trial. 

When  the  governor  saw  her  he  found  he  did  not 
want  to  kill  her,  for  she  was  very  beautiful.  Instead 
of  sentencing  her  to  death  he  ordered  the  soldiers  to 
take  her  back  to  prison  and  sent  word  to  the  jailers 
to  treat  her  kindly.  Obeying  this  order  they  gave  her 
some  food  which  she  gladly  ate  and  then  went  to  sleep. 

In  the  midst  of  her  slumbers  she  was  awakened  by 
the  grating  of  the  prison  door.  Two  women  stood 
before  her  with  downcast  faces.  Dorothea  was  so 
brave  and  good  they  were  ashamed  to  tell  their  errand. 
They  were  apostates  and  had  come  from  the  governor 
to  offer  her  money  if  she  would  deny  Christ. 


An  Heroic  Brotherhood  237 

She  could  hardly  believe  that  her  Christian  sisters 
could  be  apostates.  Yet  she  did  not  blame  them. 
She  said  she,  too,  was  weak  and  fearful.  She  prayed 
and  prayed  that  God  would  make  her  strong  and  un- 
afraid. Then  she  talked  to  them  about  Christ  and 
the  glorious  kingdom  he  was  to  bring  to  the  world. 
As  they  listened  their  courage  and  faith  returned. 
Instead  of  urging  her  to  accept  the  governor's  money 
they  went  back  with  heads  held  high  and  told  him 
they,  too,  were  Christians.  He  ordered  their  execu- 
tion and  they  were  carried  off.  But  this  time  they 
did  not  waver. 

The  governor  had  Dorothea  brought  before  him 
again.  He  told  her  that  if  she  would  marry  him  he 
would  spare  her  life,  and  would  give  her  a  palace  and 
servants  and  gardens.  Everything  she  could  want 
would  be  hers.  All  she  need  do  was  to  throw  a  tiny 
bit  of  incense  on  the  altar  of  the  Roman  gods.  Surely 
that  was  not  much  to  ask,  said  he. 

"I  am  the  bride  of  Christ,"  replied  Dorothea,  "and 
am  content  with  roses  from  the  heavenly  garden  which 
fade  not  away." 

For  hours  the  governor  argued  with  her.  But 
Dorothea  remained  firm.  She  would  not  marry  him 
and  she  would  not  worship  the  Roman  idols. 

At  last,  in  a  rage,  he  ordered  her  to  be  killed  im- 
mediately. So  she  was  led  away,  through  the  streets, 
to  the  executioner's  stand.  All  the  city  had  heard 
how  the  governor  wanted  to  marry  Dorothea  and 
make  her  an  apostate  and  a  great  crowd  turned  out 
to  see  the  girl  who  would  rather  die  than  deny  her 
faith. 

A  young  man  named  Theophilus  who  had  heard  of 
her  reply  to  the  governor  stepped  up  to  her  and  taunt- 
ingly cried: 

"Do  not  forget  me,  fair  maiden,  I  pray  thee,  but 


238        Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

send  me  some  of  the  fruit  and  flowers  from  the  heavenly 
garden." 

"Thy  prayer  is  granted,  O  Theophilus,"  answered 
Dorothea. 

It  was  sunset  when  they  reached  the  scaffold. 
Dorothea  knelt  in  prayer,  And  as  she  prayed  there 
came  to  her  a  vision.  She  saw  by  her  side  a  bright 
angel  boy  who  carried  on  his  arm  a  basket  of  roses  and 
apples  from  the  heavenly  garden.  She  prayed  that 
Theophilus  also  might  see  this  vision.  As  she  prayed 
her  spirit  was  released  from  her  body,  like  a  bird  from 
its  cage,  and  flew  away  into  God's  kingdom  of  light. 

That  evening  Theophilus  was  feasting  with  some 
gay  Roman  friends.  As  he  sat  at  the  table,  the  story 
says,  suddenly  the  bright  vision  appeared  to  him  also. 
He  rose  and  left  the  table,  remembering  Dorothea  and 
his  words  to  her.  He  now  realized  that  Dorothea 
spoke  the  truth  and  that  the  Christians  had  a  spiritual 
food  which  the  Romans  knew  not  of.  He  longed  to 
taste  of  this  heavenly  fruit.  So  he  left  his  pagan 
friends  and  became  a  Christian. 

In  the  year  175  A.D.  a  great  persecution  of  the 
Christians  broke  out  in  the  city  of  Lyons  in  France. 
France  was  at  that  tune  a  part  of  the  Roman  empire. 
The  rulers  of  Lyons  hunted  day  and  night  for  Christians. 
They  crowded  them  in  prisons  and  threw  them  into 
dungeons,  there  to  await  their  execution.  They  ar- 
rested strong  men  and  women,  the  leaders  of  the 
Christian  brotherhood.  They  captured  also  the  weak 
and  the  frail  ones.  They  were  determined  to  stamp 
out  Christianity. 

But  the  Christians,  gathered  together  in  the  prisons, 
prayed  through  the  long,  dark  hours  for  Christ's  spirit 
to  sustain  them.  The  strong  encouraged  those  who 
were  fearful.  And  sometimes  Christians  who  had  not 
been  captured  voluntarily  gave  themselves  up  in  order 


An  Heroic  Brotherhood  239 

that  they  might  share  their  love  and  courage  with 
their  more  timid  brothers  and  sisters  in  the  prison. 

There  were  many  heroes  in  this  wonderful  brother- 
hood at  Lyons.  But  the  bravest  of  them  all  was  a 
little  slave  girl  named  Blandina. 

Blandina  was  so  frail  that  her  mistress  feared  she 
could  never  stand  any  pain  and  would  deny  her  faith 
if  she  were  tortured.  But  when  she  saw  the  Roman 
officers  taking  her  friends  off  to  prison,  she  prayed 
more  and  more  earnestly. 

At  last  one  day  they  found  her,  and  she  was  carried 
to  prison.  They  tortured  her  to  make  her  turn  apos- 
tate. But  each  time  they  hurt  her  little  Blandina 
cried  out:  "I  am  a  Christian.  Men  can  do  naught 
of  evil  against  me!"  Day  after  day  they  hurt  her, 
determined  to  make  her  deny  Christ.  But  Blandina 
was  ever  victorious  and  ever  more  radiant  with  God's 
Holy  Spirit. 

Seeing  that  they  could  not  make  her  turn  coward, 
the  Romans  had  her  taken  into  the  arena  with  a 
number  of  other  Christians  to  meet  the  wild  beasts. 
All  around  the  great  amphitheater  a  vast  crowd  was 
gathered  to  see  the  Christians  killed.  When  Blandina 
was  led  into  the  arena  she  knelt  down  on  the  sand  and 
began  to  pray.  As  she  prayed  her  face  grew  brighter 
and  brighter,  like  the  face  of  an  angel.  The  other 
Christians  in  the  arena  formed  a  semi-circle  about 
her.  Gazing  steadfastly  on  her  radiant  face  she 
appeared  to  them  almost  like  their  Christ.  Her 
glorious  spirit  seemed  to  enter  into  them,  strengthening 
them  to  die  like  heroes. 

All  the  soldiers  of  Christ's  army  who  were  in  the 
arena  that  day  were  killed  except  this  little  captain, 
Blandina.  As  the  wild  beasts  did  not  touch  her, 
she  was  carried  back  to  prison. 

The  next  day  they  led  her  forth  again,  with  another 


240        Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

group  of  Christians.  And  again,  as  the  wild  beasts 
rushed  forward,  she  encouraged  the  others  to  die  as 
true  heroes.  This  day,  when  all  her  fellow  soldiers 
had  fallen  beside  her,  Blandina,  the  invincible  little 
captain,  gave  her  life  for  her  King.  As  she  died  a 
hush  fell  upon  the  wicked  crowd  of  Roman  spectators. 
"Where  did  she  get  this  wonderful  power?"  they 
whispered  in  amazement. 

The  Christians  seemed  to  be  losers  upon  the  arena 
when  all  of  them  were  killed.  Yet  many  a  pagan, 
seeing  how  sublimely  they  died  with  the  joy  of  heaven 
shining  in  their  faces,  began  to  inquire  how  it  happened. 
Then,  studying  Christianity,  these  pagans  became 
Christians. 

Every  martyrdom  on  the  arena  won,  perhaps,  a 
hundred  new  soldiers  to  Christ's  army.  Even  when 
they  appeared  to  lose,  Blandina  and  the  heroic  brother- 
hood were  conquering  the  Roman  world  to  God's 
New  Kingdom. 


MARTIN  LUTHER,  A  BRAVE  REFORMER 
OF  CHRISTENDOM 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

MARTIN  LUTHER,  A  BRAVE  REFORMER 
OF  CHRISTENDOM 


MARTIN  LUTHER  was  born  in  a  German  peasant 
home.  His  parents  were  sturdy,  hard-working,  labor- 
ing people.  His  father  took  his  pick  each  morning 
and  went  down  into  the  copper  mines  to  dig  ore.  His 
mother  trudged  out  into  the  forest  for  wood  which 
she  carried  home  on  her  back  for  the  hearth  fire. 

They  were  both  ambitious  for  Martin  to  become 
a  great  man.  So  when  he  was  thirteen  years  old  they 
sent  him  away  to  Erfurt  to  school.  He  had  but  little 
money  and  earned  most  of  his  way  singing  carols 
from  door  to  door  with  a  group  of  school  boys. 

One  evening  a  kind-hearted  woman,  Frau  Cotta, 
heard  his  strong,  beautiful  singing  and  asked  him  to 
come  and  live  at  her  home.  Frau  Cotta  was  rich; 
she  could  help  pay  his  expenses  at  school.  Martin 
Luther  was  very  poor.  It  was  a  bright  day  for  the 
eager-minded  boy  when  Frau  Cotta  took  him  to  live 
under  her  comfortable  roof. 

In  due  time  Martin  went  to  the  university  at  Erfurt. 
He  studied  hard  and  became  a  brilliant  student.  He 
took  many  honors.  His  father  was  happy  and  thought, 
"Now  my  boy  will  become  a  famous  lawyer." 

But  Martin's  plans  were  changed  in  a  strange 
manner.  It  happened  that  in  the  summer  of  the  year 
1505,  as  he  was  riding  back  from  a  visit  to  his  parents, 
he  was  overtaken  by  a  terrible  thunder  storm.  Sud- 
denly a  bolt  of  lightning  flashed  in  his  face  and  struck 


A  Brave  Reformer  of  Christendom        245 

the  road  just  in  front  of  him.  Luther,  terror-stricken, 
fell  from  his  horse  to  the  ground.  "Help  me,"  he 
cried,  calling  out  the  name  of  a  saint  of  the  Catholic 
Church,  "and  I  will  become  a  monk." 

The  lightning  passed  by  as  quickly  as  it  had  come, 
and  Martin  Luther  was  safe.  But  the  promise  he 
had  made  in  his  fright  he  felt  obliged  to  keep. 

At  that  tune  there  were  numerous  monasteries 
scattered  throughout  Germany  and  the  rest  of  Europe. 
These  houses  were  owned  by  the  Catholic  church.  If 
a  man  wished  to  devote  all  his  time  to  thinking  of 
God,  if  he  longed  to  become  pure  and  holy,  he  went 
to  live  in  a  monastery.  Any  property  which  he  had 
he  gave  away.  He  gave  his  life  to  God  and  God's 
service.  People  in  those  tunes  believed  that  the  world 
was  so  wicked  that  the  only  way  to  lead  a  holy  life 
was  to  leave  the  world's  temptations  and  go  to  one  of 
these  monasteries. 

Luther's  father  was  dreadfully  disappointed  when 
he  learned  that  his  son  had  decided  to  give  up  all 
chance  of  a  brilliant  career  to  become  a  poor  and 
humble  monk.  But  Martin  Luther  thought  it  was 
the  will  of  God  which  was  made  plain  to  him  in  the 
thunder  storm  and  the  lightning. 

When  he  entered  the  monastery  they  put  him  on 
probation  for  a  year  to  see  if  he  could  stand  the  rigor- 
ous life  of  a  monk.  An  older  monk  instructed  him 
in  the  rules  of  the  household.  He  was  given  the  most 
menial  tasks  to  perform  to  teach  him  that  God  may 
be  served  in  the  humblest  little  ways.  He  was  set 
to  sweeping  and  cleaning  the  monastery  rooms.  He 
did  it  with  willingness  and  vigor. 

But  Luther  knew  that  to  make  the  monastery  rooms 
clean  was  not  enough.  He  must  purify  his  own  mind 
and  sweep  out  of  it  the  dust  and  cobwebs  of  wrong 
thoughts.  He  must  become  clean  and  pure  within. 


246        Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

He  had  a  violent  temper.  He  prayed  to  God  to 
help  him  control  it.  He  did  not  always  know  what 
was  God's  will,  what  God  wished  him  to  do.  But 
after  long  hours  of  prayer  in  the  darkness  of  the  night, 
as  he  lay  on  the  stone  floor  of  his  narrow  cell,  peace 
of  mind  would  come  to  him.  Then  he  would  see  his 
duty  more  clearly.  He  wore  next  his  body  a  rough, 
hair  shirt  which  rubbed  and  irritated  his  flesh.  By 
this  means  he  could  learn  not  to  care  even  if  he  was 
uncomfortable. 

During  these  years  in  the  monastery  Luther  spent 
several  hours  each  day  in  a  way  which  was  rather 
unusual  in  those  times.  He  read  his  Bible.  The 
Bible  was  written  in  Latin,  which  only  the  educated 
people  could  read.  And  even  they  often  preferred 
someone's  explanation  to  reading  for  themselves. 

Since  they  never  read  Jesus'  words  many  of  the 
priests  and  monks  had  almost  forgotten  his  teachings. 
But  Luther  read  his  New  Testament,  and  Christ  and 
Paul  became  his  great  heroes.  He  resolved  to  follow 
just  what  they  taught.  So  overjoyed  was  he  with  the 
wonderful  words  he  had  discovered  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment that  he  resolved  to  tell  them  to  all  the  people 
of  Germany. 

When  he  was  asked  to  be  professor  at  the  University 
of  Wittenberg,  and  parish  priest  for  a  nearby  district, 
he  felt  that  his  chance  to  teach  had  come.  So  he  left 
the  monastery  and  went  to  Wittenberg. 

He  began  at  once  to  tell  his  new  discoveries  to  his 
eager  pupils  in  the  university  class  room.  We  can 
almost  see  the  students  sitting  around  him,  writing 
down  his  lectures  in  their  notebooks,  and  listening 
for  the  first  time  to  Jesus'  own  words. 

On  Sunday  he  preached  stirring  sermons  in  his 
parish  church.  He  always  spoke  with  vigor  and 
enthusiasm.  His  eyes  shone  and  sparkled  "like  stars, 


A  Brave  Reformer  of  Christendom        247 

so  that  one  might  not  well  bear  to  look  into  them." 
His  hearers  were  thrilled  with  his  words.  Luther 
became  a  celebrated  professor  and  preacher. 

Two  years  after  he  came  to  Wittenberg  he  was  sent 
with  some  other  monks  on  business  to  Rome.  He 
was  too  poor  to  pay  his  fare  by  stage  coach  to  far-away 
Rome,  so  he  had  to  walk  on  foot  all  the  way,  through 
the  forests  and  over  the  mountains.  It  took  him  six 
weeks  to  make  the  journey. 

As  he  drew  near  the  Holy  City,  the  capital  of  Chris- 
tendom, his  heart  was  filled  with  expectancy  and 
wonder.  Since  his  boyhood  he  had  heard  of  the  glory 
of  Rome.  The  Pope  lived  there.  He  was  the  ruler  — 
the  Holy  Father  they  called  him  —  of  all  the  millions 
of  Christians. 

Luther  entered  the  city  gates.  He  beheld  churches 
and  palaces.  They  were  magnificent.  The  cathedral 
of  Saint  Peter  was  dazzling  in  its  splendor.  The  other 
buildings  were  impressive. 

But  Luther  looked  about  for  the  spiritual  city,  the 
city  of  holy  and  Christlike  hearts.  He  looked  in  vain. 
He  gazed  into  the  faces  of  priests  and  cardinals,  the 
teachers  of  Christianity,  expecting  to  see  them  bright 
with  the  light  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  But  there  was  no 
light  in  them.  They  were  hard  and  wicked.  These 
priests  even  joked  with  one  another  while  they  were 
conducting  the  beautiful  religious  services.  He  found 
that  the  Pope  and  the  cardinals  and  bishops  who  pre- 
tended to  rule  Christ's  kingdom  had  forgotten  all  about 
Christ's  teachings.  All  they  cared  for  was  wealth 
and  leadership. 

So  he  left  the  city  in  sorrow.  It  was  no  longer  holy 
to  him.  And  in  sorrow  he  travelled  the  long  journey 
through  the  dark  forests,  back  to  Wittenberg. 

Something  else  soon  happened  which  made  plain 
to  Luther  the  wickedness  which  had  crept  into  Christ's 


248        Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

church.  There  came  into  Saxony,  the  province  where 
he  lived,  a  priest  named  Tetzel.  Tetzel  was  travelling 
through  Germany.  He  would  march  into  a  town  at 
the  head  of  a  procession  of  priests  bearing  candles  and 
waving  banners.  A  band  of  singers,  part  of  his  com- 
pany, would  chant  songs  and  shake  tinkling  bells. 
Then  Tetzel  would  enter  a  church,  set  up  a  red  cross 
before  the  altar,  and  bid  the  people  come  forward  and 
be  forgiven  their  sins. 

Now  how  do  you  suppose  they  were  to  obtain  this 
forgiveness?  They  would  merely  drop  some  money 
into  an  iron  plate;  whereat  Tetzel  would  give  them  a 
certificate  signed  by  the  Pope  saying  their  sins  were 
forgiven. 

It  was,  of  course,  a  huge,  money-making  fraud. 
Only  God  can  forgive  sins.  Jesus  tells  us  no  one  can 
have  his  heart  made  pure  .and  clean  save  by  praying  to 
God  and  obeying  his  will. 

It  was  now,  however,  fifteen  hundred  years  since 
Jesus  and  his  apostles  had  lived  and  taught  God's 
holy  messages.  The  people  rarely  read  their  New 
Testament.  They  just  believed  what  the  priests  told 
them.  And  since  even  the  priests  seldom  studied  the 
Bible,  frauds  like  Tetzel's  were  not  uncommon. 

So  the  people  paid  their  money  and  carried  off  their 
indulgence,  as  the  certificate  of  forgiveness  was  called. 
They  were  glad  it  was  so  easy  to  get  rid  of  their  sins. 

But  Luther  knew  better.  His  heart  rebelled  against 
this  deception  played  by  the  Pope  and  the  priests.  He 
saw  they  were  just  stealing  money  from  the  ignorant 
people.  What  would  Christ  say,  thought  Luther,  at 
the  way  his  church  was  conducted! 

So  one  day  Luther  stepped  up  to  the  church  door 
and  with  hammer  and  nails  fastened  upon  it  a  paper. 
On  this  paper  he  had  written  ninety-five  sentences. 
Each  sentence  was  a  separate  attack  upon  Tetzel  and 


A  Brave  Reformer  of  Christendom        249 

the  sale  of  indulgences.  Luther  challenged  anyone 
to  prove  to  him,  in  debate,  that  what  Tetzel  was  doing 
had  ever  been  taught  by  Christ. 

His  brave  action  sent  a  thrill  through  the  hearts  of 
thousands  of  Germans.  They  knew  he  was  right  and 
the  Pope  wrong.  Copies  were  made  of  his  paper.  In 
a  few  months  these  were  circulated  all  over  Germany 
and  Martin  Luther's  name  was  on  the  lips  of  every- 
one. 

It  was  a  momentous  day  when  Luther,  on  October 
31,  1517,  nailed  that  paper  on  the  church  door.  It 
was  the  beginning  of  the  great  religious  reform  in 
Christendom  called  the  Protestant  Reformation. 

II 

"But  what,"  the  people  asked  each  other  in  whispers, 
"will  the  Pope  do  to  Luther?"  The  Pope,  the  ruler 
of  Christendom!  For  ten  hundred  years  everyone 
had  obeyed  him.  His  slightest  word  was  law.  Even 
kings  trembled  at  his  orders.  What  would  become 
of  the  poor,  insignificant  monk  who  dared  to  oppose 
him?  Once  before  a  man  named  Huss  had  disputed 
the  words  of  the  Pope,  and  he  had  been  burned  at  the 
stake.  Poor  Luther! 

Just  one  thing  saved  Martin  Luther.  The  ruler  of 
his  province  felt  kindly  toward  the  brave  monk. 
"What,"  he  said  to  himself,  "if  Luther  should  be 
right?"  And  he  refused  to  give  him  up  to  the  Pope. 
Maximilian,  the  emperor  of  Germany,  also  befriended 
him. 

So  the  Pope,  seeing  Luther  had  such  influential 
friends,  tried  to  stop  his  teaching  by  offering  him  a 
high  position  in  the  church. 

But  the  Pope's  money  could  not  buy  Luther's 
silence.  He  was  serving  God.  He  did  not  want  the 
Pope's  gifts. 


250        Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

Then  the  Pope  sent  him  a  letter  in  which  he  de- 
clared that  Luther  was  no  longer  a  priest,  no  longer  a 
member  of  the  Christian  church.  This  was  called  a 
letter  of  excommunication  and  was  the  worst  thing 
the  Pope  could  do  to  anyone.  Ordinarily  it  brought 
even  kings  and  emperors  to  terms. 

When  Luther  received  this  letter  of  excommunication 
he  built  a  bonfire  near  the  university  door.  The  stu- 
dents gathered  around  him.  When  the  fire  was  blazing 
merrily  he  tossed  the  Pope's  letter  into  the  flames. 
"Because,"  he  said,  addressing  the  Pope's  decree, 
"thou  hast  troubled  the  Lord's  saints,  let  eternal  fire 
consume  thee."  While  the  paper  burned  the  students 
jokingly  sang  a  Te  Deum  as  a  funeral  hymn. 

Luther's  enemies  were  beside  themselves  with  anger. 
They  summoned  him  to  appear  before  a  great  council 
called  the  Diet  of  Worms.  There  he  was  to  be  put 
on  trial  for  his  life.  Everyone  again  thought  of  Huss 
who  had  been  burned  at  the  stake  by  just  such  a 
council,  and  Luther's  friends  urged  him  not  to  go. 

"I  will  go,"  he  answered,  ".if  I  am  carried  sick  on 
my  bed."  It  was  his  duty  to  meet  this  council;  he 
would  not  flinch. 

He  rode  in  a  cart  from  Wittenberg  to  the  city  of 
Worms  to  answer  his  summons.  On  his  way  he  passed 
through  Erfurt,  the  town  where  he  had  received  his 
education.  There  he  heard  that  the  new  emperor, 
Charles  V,  had  ordered  all  the  many  books  he  had 
written  to  be  burned.  Thus  he  learned  that  the 
emperor  of  Germany  was  obedient  to  the  Pope  and 
was  Luther's  enemy. 

"Will  you  still  go  to  Worms?"  he  was  asked. 

"I  will  go,"  Luther  replied,  "if  there  are  as  many 
devils  hi  Worms  as  there  are  tiles  upon  the  house-tops. 
Though  they  burned  Huss,  they  could  not  burn  the 
Truth." 


A  Brave  Reformer  of  Christendom        251 

When  he  rode  into  the  city  of  Worms  in  his  cart  the 
streets  were  lined  with  people  waiting  to  see  him. 
Some  had  even  climbed  upon  the  house-tops  for  a 
better  view.  As  he  passed  through  the  city  gates  the 
warder  on  the  walls  blew  a  blast  through  his  trumpet. 

He  rode  along  the  streets  to  the  building  where  his 
enemies  were  waiting  for  him.  As  he  entered  the 
door  where  the  great  council  was  held  a  famous  gen- 
eral stepped  up  to  him,  put  his  hand  on  his  shoulder 
and  said: 

"My  dear  monk,  thou  goest  to  an  encounter  which 
I  and  many  leaders  of  battle  never  have  faced.  If 
thou  art  right  and  sure  of  thy  cause,  God  speed  thee 
and  be  comforted.  God  will  not  forsake  thee." 

When  Luther  walked  into  the  assembly  room  he 
understood  what  the  general  meant.  There  were  ar- 
rayed before  him  all  the  princes  and  rulers  of  Germany. 
Over  them  presided  Charles  the  Fifth,  the  young 
emperor  of  half  the  European  world.  There  sat  men 
mighty  in  the  church.  Most  of  them  were  ready  to 
have  him  burned  at  the  stake.  It  was  surely  a  terror- 
inspiring  moment. 

He  saw  a  pile  of  books  on  the  table.  They  were 
his  own,  in  which  he  had  described  the  wicked  deeds 
of  the  Pope  and  the  priests  and  had  explained  the  true 
teachings  of  Jesus. 

"Did  you  write  these  books?"  he  was  asked. 

He  answered  that  he  did. 

"Will  you  recant  them?"  was  the  next  question  put 
to  him.  That  is,  "Will  you  declare  what  you  wrote 
in  them  to  be  untrue?" 

Luther  replied  that  he  wanted  a  day  in  which  to 
think  it  over. 

On  the  morrow  he  again  entered  the  council  room, 
and  with  superb  courage  faced  his  accusers.  WTien 
asked  if  he  would  recant  what  was  in  his  books  he 


252        Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

boldly  declared  that  he  had  written  what  he  believed 
was  the  truth.  "In  simplicity  of  mind,"  he  said,  "I 
have  written  and  taught  up  to  this  time,  and  sought 
nothing  else  on  earth  than  the  glory  of  God  and  the 
instruction  of  those  who  believe  in  Christ."  But  if, 
he  continued,  he  was  wrong,  let  his  accusers  prove  it 
to  him,  and  he  would  be  the  first  to  throw  his  books 
into  the  fire. 

The  haughty  princes  had  no  intention  of  arguing 
with  him.  He  must  disown  these  books  or  take  his 
chances  of  being  burned  at  the  stake. 

"Do  you  believe  the  Pope  and  the  council  are  right 
or  wrong?"  they  questioned  him.  Luther  replied  with 
ringing  words: 

"I  do  not  believe  in  either  the  Pope  or  the  council 
alone,  since  it  is  plain  that  they  have  erred  repeatedly 
and  contradicted  themselves.  Unless  I  am  overcome 
with  the  testimony  of  the  Scriptures  or  with  clear  and 
transparent  reasons,  I  will  not  and  shall  not  recant  a 
single  word,  for  it  is  wicked  and  dangerous  to  act 
contrary  to  conscience." 

His  enemies  rose  to  their  feet  in  fury.  The  emperor, 
amazed  at  Luther's  daring,  waved  his  hand  and  gave 
the  signal  to  break  up  the  assembly.  Whereupon 
Luther  cried  out 

"Here  I  stand.  I  cannot  do  otherwise.  God  help 
me!  Amen!" 

Had  it  not  been  for  his  prince,  Elector  Frederick,  the 
governor  of  his  province  of  Saxony,  Luther  would  have 
been  executed  immediately.  But  Elector  Frederick 
again  protected  him. 

So  the  Emperor,  to  avoid  a  quarrel  with  the  Elector, 
ordered  Luther  to  return  home  to  Wittenberg.  He 
did  this  planning  to  make  way  with  him  later. 

Then  Luther's  friends  carried  out  a  daring  plot. 
As  he  was  riding  homeward,  through  the  Thurin- 


A  Brave  Reformer  of  Christendom         253 

gian  forest,  they  swooped  down  upon  him  and 
whisked  him  off  to  Wartburg  Castle,  high  up  in  the 
hills.  There  they  kept  him  hidden  for  a  year  and 
practically  no  one  knew  where  he  was.  He  now 
took  off  his  monk's  robe  and  dressed  as  a  knight. 
Most  of  the  time,  during  this  year,  he  sat  hi  his 
room  in  the  castle  translating  the  Bible  into  Ger- 
man. This  translation  was  circulated  throughout 
Germany  and  for  four  centuries  has  been  read  by 
the  German  people. 

Now  and  then,  attended  by  a  guard,  Luther  would 
walk  through  the  castle  grounds.  He  would  pick 
strawberries  or  listen  to  the  birds.  Then  he  would 
think  of  God  who  gave  life  to  all  nature.  "No  one 
can  calculate,"  he  once  said,  "what  God  needs  only 
to  feed  the  sparrows.  They  cost  him  more  in  a  year 
than  the  income  of  the  king  of  France.  God  under- 
stands all  the  trades.  In  his  tailoring  he  makes  for 
the  stag  a  coat  that  lasts  a  hundred  years.  As  a  shoe- 
maker he  gives  him  shoes  for  his  feet.  And  in  the 
sun  he  is  a  cook." 

Twice,  on  two  successive  days,  Luther  went  hunting. 
But  his  heart  was  touched  when  he  saw  the  men  and 
dogs  driving  hares  and  partridges  into  nets.  "They 
are  innocent  little  beasts,"  he  said.  And  he  picked 
up  a  little  rabbit  and  hid  it  all  day  long  in  the  folds  of 
his  coat  lest  the  men  and  the  dogs  should  find  it. 

So  for  a  year  Luther  remained  hidden  hi  Wartburg 
Castle.  But  by  that  tune  his  books  were  read  and 
talked  of  all  over  Germany.  The  peddlers  on  the 
country  roads  told  their  customers  about  Luther's 
splendid  courage  when  he  faced  the  Diet  of  Worms. 
In  far-away  hamlets  hi  the  hills  the  people  talked  of 
Luther  when,  in  the  evenings,  they  sat  before  their 
blazing  hearth  fires.  He  became  the  idolized  hero 
of  the  German  nation. 


254         Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

After  he  was  released  from  the  Gastle  he  wrote  many 
books  and  preached  stirring  sermons:  and  always  he 
led  the  Protestant  Reformation. 

The  light  of  Christ's  teaching  had  been  hidden  for 
centuries  behind  dark  clouds.  These  clouds  were  the 
false  creeds  and  superstitions  which  people's  imagina- 
tion had  created.  Luther  tried  to  brush  away  the 
clouds  so  that  the  sun  of  Christ's  truth  might  shine 
again  into  men's  hearts  and  set  them  free  from  their 
selfishness  and  sin.  A  multitude  of  heroic  men  and 
women  joined  him  in  this  great  undertaking.  Some 
of  them  were  the  founders  of  the  Protestant  churches 
of  Christendom.  Others  taught  within  the  Catholic 
church  to  make  it  pure  and  spiritual  again  as  it  had 
been  in  the  days  of  its  glory.  But  perhaps  the  most 
stalwart  of  all  these  reformers  was  the  miner's  son, 
Martin  Luther. 


TWO  FRIENDS  OF  GOD 


CHAPTER  XIX 
TWO  FRIENDS  OF  GOD 

WHILE  the  reformers  in  the  Catholic  and  Protestant 
churches  were  urging  the  people  of  Europe  to  live  as 
Christ  bade  them,  a  young  man  in  England,  George 
Fox,  sat  at  his  bench  cobbling  shoes.  He  knew  little 
about  books.  But  his  father,  who  was  so  good  and 
honest  that  the  neighbors  nicknamed  him  "  righteous 
Christer,"  had  taught  him  to  keep  himself  pure;  and 
from  his  mother  he  learned  to  be  gentle  and  fearless. 

One  day  George  Fox  left  his  cobbler's  bench  and 
went  on  business  to  a  country  fair.  He  was  shocked 
indeed,  that  day,  to  see  how  the  other  young  men  at 
the  fair  drank  beer,  and  how  thoughtless  and  idle 
they  were. 

He  went  home  and  began  to  pray.  He  asked  God 
to  show  him  how  to  destroy  the  sin  in  the  world.  He 
took  his  Bible  and  went  out  into  the  orchards.  There 
sitting  on  the  grass  or  in  a  hollow  tree  he  read  and 
read  its  pages. 

Suddenly,  one  day  a  voice,  pure  and  heavenly, 
spoke  in  his  heart.  George  Fox,  listening,  heard  these 
words:  "There  is  one,  even  Jesus  Christ,  that  can 
speak  to  thy  condition."  He  fairly  leaped  for  joy,  he 
was  so  happy  when  this  divine  message  came.  He 
began  to  read  his  Gospels  more  earnestly  than  ever, 
and  day  after  day  he  listened  for  Christ's  voice. 

After  a  while  it  seemed  as  though  a  bright  light 
streamed  into  his  mind  and  shone  upon  the  words  as 
he  read.  He  knew  this  was  God's  Holy  Spirit.  The 
barriers  in  his  mind  gave  way  as  though  a  door  had 


260        Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

been  opened,  and  more  and  more  he  felt  the  light 
and  love  of  God's  presence.  By  this  light  he  under- 
stood what  the  Gospels  meant  and  how  he  was  to 
help  the  people  of  England.  This  spiritual  light 
which  shone  so  bright  within  his  mind  he  called  the 
Inner  Light. 

He  made  for  himself  a  suit  of  leather,  coat  and 
breeches.  Then  he  put  on  a  white  hat,  and  started 
off  on  foot  to  tell  the  people  what  he  had  seen  and 
learned.  He  talked  to  them  as  they  gathered  in  the 
market  place  or  on  the  village  streets.  He  talked 
with  the  farmers  as  they  worked  in  the  fields.  "You 
have  all  forgotten  what  a  glorious  teacher  Christ  is," 
he  would  say  to  them.  "You  have  forgotten  Christ's 
commandment  to  love  one  another.  Come,  follow 
him.  Give  to  the  poor.  Love  everyone,  even  those 
who  abuse  you.  Then  the  inner  light  will  shine  in 
your  hearts  as  it  has  shone  in  mine." 

Some  who  listened  were  made  happy  by  his  words. 
But  others  did  not  want  to  follow  Jesus'  real  teaching 
and  love  everyone.  So  they  would  beat  Fox  and  stone 
him  and  drive  him  away.  In  some  villages  the 
people  became  so  angry  they  would  not  even  give  him 
a  room  in  the  town  inn,  and  he  had  to  sleep  in  the 
fields  under  a  haystack.  Or  maybe  he  would  spend 
a  whole  night  under  a  hedge  in  the  rain  and  the  snow. 
But  he  did  not  mind  how  cold  or  uncomfortable  he 
was,  for  the  inner  light  burned  bright  in  his  heart. 

On  one  occasion  when  he  was  in  a  church  he  started 
to  tell  about  Christ's  commandments.  The  church 
clerk  rushed  at  him  and  struck  him  in  the  face  with 
a  Bible.  The  audience  crowded  about  him,  dragged 
him  out  of  the  church,  and  stoned  him.  Then  they 
threw  him  over  a  hedge.  He  rose  from  the  ground, 
bruised  and  bleeding.  Was  he  angry?  Not  for  a 
moment.  He  quietly  told  them,  "I  am  Christ's 


Two  Friends  of  God  261 

servant.  You  dishonor  your  Christ  when  you  treat  his 
servant  so  unkindly.  Repent  and  do  as  he  bids  you." 

At  this  they  set  upon  him  again  and  took  him  off 
to  prison.  The  next  day  he  was  told  by  the  prison 
officer  that  he  could  have  the  clerk  who  had  struck  him 
with  the  Bible  arrested,  for  it  was  against  the  law  to 
strike  anyone  in  a  church.  Fox  replied  that  he  was 
not  angry  with  the  man.  He  always  forgave  those 
who  injured  him. 

For  many  years  he  taught  and  suffered  in  this  way. 
Again  and  again  he  was  thrown  into  prison.  But  as 
soon  as  he  was  released  he  began  once  more  to  teach. 
In  a  few  years  many  people  had  joined  him  and  were 
trying  with  him  to  follow  Christ's  pure  spirit  and  com- 
mandments. They  called  themselves  the  Friends  of 
God.  When  Fox  spoke  to  them  in  their  meetings 
there  was  a  holy  power  in  his  words  which  made  them 
tremble  with  joy  and  wonder.  Some  say  that  is  the 
reason  why  they  were  also  called  Quakers. 

Now  the  priests  and  officers  of  the  government 
preferred  to  follow  their  old  ways.  They  did  not  want 
the  Quakers  to  tell  them  they  were  doing  wrong.  So 
they  arrested  them  by  the  hundreds  and  carried  them 
off  to  prison.  In  fact,  the  prisons  in  England  were 
full  of  these  gentle  Friends  of  God. 

After  enduring  such  persecutions  for  a  number  of 
years  some  of  the  Quakers  decided  to  go  to  America 
where  they  could  be  free.  Little  by  little,  a  few  at  a 
time,  they  sailed  over  the  sea  to  the  unknown  land 
where  they  could  worship  God  as  the  inner  light  bade 
them. 

America  was  a  wilderness  in  those  days.  Here 
and  there  by  the  ocean  and  along  the  banks  of  the 
rivers,  meager  white  settlements  were  to  be  found. 
But  the  warlike  Indians  roamed  at  will  over  the  forests 
and  there  were  dangers  on  every  side. 


Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

In  the  year  1671  George  Fox  decided  to  visit  the 
Friends  who  had  gone  to  America.  He  took  his 
passage  on  a  sailboat  and  was  two  months  crossing 
the  Atlantic  ocean.  When  he  reached  Maryland, 
where  the  Quakers  had  settled,  he  was  eagerly  wel- 
comed. He  spoke  at  their  meetings  as  in  England. 
His  eyes  were  bright  with  the  Holy  Spirit,  his  heart 
aglow  with  earnestness  and  joy.  They  caught  his 
courage  and  were  strengthened  to  battle  with  the 
hardships  of  the  wilderness. 

One  day  he  sent  an  invitation  to  the  Indians  to 
come  to  a  meeting.  He  sent  it  to  the  "emperor"  of 
the  Indians  and  to  the  Indian  "  kings." 

The  Indian  chiefs  met  together  in  the  forest  and 
held  a  council  to  talk  it  all  over.  Should  they  accept 
this  invitation  of  "the  paleface"  and  be  his  friend, 
or  should  they  refuse  to  meet  his  kindly  advances? 
At  last  they  voted  to  accept;  and  the  Indian  "em- 
peror" himself,  followed  by  his  warriors,  came  to  the 
Quaker  meeting  and  sat  very  grave  and  still  while  Fox 
told  about  Christ  and  his  Gospel  of  Peace. 

Shortly  after  this  Fox  started  off  through  the  forests 
and  over  the  bogs  and  the  rivers  to  travel  to  New 
England.  When  his  party  came  to  a  river  they  would 
borrow  Indian  canoes  and  paddle  across,  while  the 
horses  swam  at  the  sides  of  the  boats.  At  night  they 
slept  in  the  silent  forest  beside  a  camp  fire,  or  in  some 
Indian  wigwam.  One  evening  they  arrived  at  an 
Indian  town  where  an  Indian  king  lived.  The  Big 
Chief  and  his  wife  welcomed  them  with  kindness. 
They  took  the  little  party  to  their  home  and  Fox  and 
his  companions  slept  on  mats  on  the  floor  of  the  Indian 
king's  rough  forest  "palace." 

After  a  while  Fox  returned  to  the  Friends  hi  England. 
One  of  these  early  Friends  or  Quakers  was  a  young 
man,  William  Perm.  His  father  was  an  admiral  hi 


Two  Friends  of  God  263 

the  British  navy  and  a  friend  of  Charles  II,  king  of 
England.  Admiral  Penn  expected  his  son  to  follow 
his  example  and  become  a  fine  gentleman  at  court. 

But  William  did  not  care  for  the  luxurious  life  of 
the  kings  and  princes.  When  he  was  twelve  years 
old  there  had  come  to  him  a  beautiful  vision  in  which 
God's  glory  seemed  to  be  shining  in  the  room  where 
he  was  sitting.  As  he  grew  up  this  vision  seemed  to 
him  more  real  than  the  wealth  and  presents  at  the 
king's  court,  and  he  resolved  to  try  to  be  worthy  of 
such  a  vision. 

He  was  studying  at  Oxford  College  when  one  day 
he  heard  a  Quaker  preacher.  He  decided  that  this 
man  was  teaching  the  truth  of  God,  and  he  joined  the 
little  band  of  Friends.  This  displeased  his  father,  for 
the  Quakers  were  mostly  poor  people,  shoemakers, 
tinkers,  workingmen,  and  the  like.  They  did  not  seem 
to  Admiral  Penn  proper  company  for  his  son.  But 
William  had  found  hi  the  teaching  of  George  Fox  a 
"  gospel  of  peace  that  was  more  dear  and  precious  to 
his  soul  than  all  the  treasures  of  this  world."  He 
could  not  give  it  up.  He  began  to  teach  and  urge  the 
people  of  England  to  become  friends  of  God. 

One  day  when  Penn  was  preaching  at  Grace  Church 
in  London  some  officers  came  and  arrested  him.  They 
took  him  before  a  court  to  be  tried.  A  jury  chosen 
from  the  people  of  the  city  were  to  decide  whether 
he  should  be  punished  or  not. 

Penn  was  allowed  to  speak  in  his  own  defense.  As 
the  jury  listened  to  him  they  liked  him,  he  was  so 
fearless  and  kind.  So,  with  a  smile  on  then*  faces, 
they  gave  the  verdict:  "William  Penn  is  guilty  of 
speaking  in  a  church." 

This  made  the  presiding  judge  angry.  He  wanted 
them  to  say,  "guilty  of  speaking  in  a  church  against 
the  law."  Then  he  would  have  an  excuse  for  sending 


264         Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

Penn  to  prison.  But  the  jury  did  not  think  the  law 
had  any  right  to  keep  a  man  from  speaking  about  God 
in  a  church.  So  they  refused  to  do  what  the  judge 
told  them. 

The  judge  in  a  fury  shut  the  jury  up  in  a  room  and 
would  not  let  them  have  any  food  or  water.  For 
two  days  he  kept  them  there.  Then  he  asked  for 
another  verdict.  The  jury  said,  "William  Penn  is 
not  guilty." 

Beside  himself  with  anger  the  judge  ordered  Penn 
and  the  whole  jury  to  be  taken  to  prison.  But  as 
this  was  contrary  to  all  English  law  they  were  soon 
released. 

This  was  one  of  many  visits  which  William  Penn 
made  to  the  English  prisons.  As  soon  as  the  officers 
released  him  he  would  begin  to  teach.  As  soon  as  they 
heard  he  was  preaching  somewhere,  back  he  was  sent 
to  prison. 

At  last  he  went  to  the  king  and  bought  from  him  the 
large  tract  of  land  hi  America  which  was  called  after 
Perm's  name,  Pennsylvania.  He  decided  to  make 
this  land  into  a  home  for  the  Friends  of  God  and  all 
others  who  suffered  oppression.  He  chartered  a  ship, 
and  with  a  party  of  Quakers  set  sail  for  America. 

The  air  was  clear  and  sweet  when,  after  two  months 
at  sea,  he  landed  on  the  bank  of  the  Delaware  River. 
The  heavens  were  serene.  Flowers  and  fruits  and 
great  red  grapes  grew  on  the  river  banks. 

Soon  the  Indians  came  to  see  him.  "They  were  tall, 
straight,  well  built,  and  walking  with  a  lofty  chin, — the 
most  merry  creatures  that  live,"  he  relates  of  them  in 
his  journal.  They  brought  him  roasted  acorns  and 
hominy.  He  loved  his  red  brothers,  just  as  George 
Fox  had  loved  them.  So  he  invited  them  to  stay  and 
have  dinner  with  him. 

After  dinner  they  started  to  show  him  how  far  they 


Two  Friends  of  God  265 

could  hop  and  jump.  Penn  who  was  a  good  athlete 
joined  in  the  sport  and,  to  their  astonishment,  jumped 
farther  than  anyone.  They  went  back  to  their  wig- 
wams thinking  "the  paleface"  was  a  great  man. 

Although  he  had  bought  the  whole  of  Pennsylvania 
from  the  king  of  England,  Penn  said  the  land  really 
belonged  to  the  Indians.  Had  they  not  lived  on  it 
for  hundreds  of  years?  So  he  decided  to  buy  it  again, 
little  by  little  from  the  Indian  chiefs.  He  called  a 
council  of  the  Indians  to  talk  it  all  over.  They  were 
to  meet  with  the  Quakers  just  north  of  the  present 
site  of  Philadelphia. 

The  Indians  came,  multitudes  of  them,  all  armed 
with  bows  and  arrows.  They  looked  very  fierce  and 
warlike.  The  little  band  of  Quakers  who  accompanied 
Penn  had  no  arms  at  all.  Christ  had  told  men  to  put 
away  their  swords.  They  would  do  as  he  bade  them. 
The  Indians  looked  dreadful  indeed.  But  the  Quaker 
Friends  were  sure  God  would  protect  them. 

When  they  were  all  assembled,  this  crowd  of  fierce 
Indians  and  the  little  group  of  unarmed  Quakers,  the 
great  chief  walked  forward  and  took  his  stand  under 
a  huge  elm  tree.  Raising  his  arms,  he  placed  a  rude 
crown  upon  his  head.  In  the  middle  of  the  crown 
there  was  stuck  a  horn.  Whenever  he  placed  that 
crown  on  his  head  all  the  warriors  must  drop  then* 
bows  and  arrows.  As  long  as  he  wore  the  crown  and 
the  horn  nobody  should  be  injured. 

So  the  Indians  laid  then*  bows  and  arrows  on  the 
ground.  The  older  and  wiser  chiefs  sat  down  under 
the  elm  tree  in  a  semicircle  about  the  big  chief.  The 
younger  Indians  all  sat  in  a  circle  just  behind  them. 
The  great  chief  then  announced  to  William  Penn, 
through  an  interpreter,  that  his  chiefs  and  his  nations 
were  ready  to  listen. 

Penn  stepped  forward.    In  his  hand  he  held  a  roll 


266        Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

of  parchment.  About  his  waist  was  tied  a  blue  sash, 
such  as  the  English  officers  wore. 

"The  Great  Spirit  made  you  and  us,"  he  said  to 
the  Indians.  "May  he  incline  your  hearts  to  right- 
eousness and  peace.  We  love  you  as  brothers.  We 
intend  to  order  all  things  so  we  may  live  with  you  in 
peace.  We  never  carry  arms  because  we  do  not  wish 
to  harm  you.  May  the  English  and  the  Indians  live 
in  love  as  long  as  the  sun  shall  give  its  light."  The 
Indians  shouted  their  approval  of  his  words. 

Perm  now  gave  them  the  price  of  their  land  and 
many  presents  besides.  He  also  gave  them  the  parch- 
ment on  which  the  agreement  between  them  and  the 
Quakers  was  written.  This  they  were  to  keep  to 
read  to  their  children  and  grandchildren  in  the 
wigwams. 

The  Indians  went  away  from  the  council  declaring 
they  would  be  friends  to  Penn  and  the  Quakers  so 
long  as  the  sun  and  the  moon  should  shine.  And  they 
always  kept  their  word. 

Penn  made  many  other  treaties  with  them.  Once 
he  bought  as  much  land  to  the  west  as  a  man  could 
walk  across  in  three  days.  The  Indian  chiefs  walked 
with  him  in  leisurely  fashion  for  a  day  and  a  half  of 
the  three  days.  They  stopped  every  once  in  a  while 
and  sat  under  the  trees  and  smoked  their  pipes  and 
ate  their  biscuits  and  cheese.  Of  course  this  delay 
gave  Penn  less  land  than  would  have  been  his  if  he 
had  hurried  along.  But  he  did  not  care.  He  was 
generous.  He  would  not  try  to  get  the  best  of  the 
bargain.  In  fact  he  felt  that  the  thirty  miles  which 
they  covered  in  the  day  and  a  half  was  sufficient  for 
his  needs,  and  he  returned  home  with  his  red  friends. 
It  was  not  until  many  years  later  that  the  rest  of  the 
land  was  claimed  from  the  Indians.  The  governor  of 
Pennsylvania  then  employed  the  fastest  walker  he 


Two  Friends  of  God  267 

could  find;   he  covered  eighty-six  miles  in  the  remain- 
ing day  and  a  half. 

The  king  of  England  made  Penn  governor  of  the 
new  colony  of  Pennsylvania,  and  for  a  number  of 
years  he  lived  on  his  American  land.  He  wrote  out 
a  set  of  laws  for  his  colony  which  later  on  was  used  as 
a  pattern  for  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States. 
And  after  a  while  the  Quakers  built  the  city  of  Phila- 
delphia. The  Indians  around  them  tried  to  be  just 
and  kind  like  these  Friends  of  God.  They  kept  their 
treaties,  and  the  English  and  the  red  men  lived  in 
peace. 


CHAMPIONS  OF  FREEDOM  IN  AMERICA 


CHAPTER  XX 
CHAMPIONS  OF  FREEDOM  IN  AMERICA 


IN  the  face  of  the  Indians  and  the  blizzards  of  winter 
the  Puritans  settled  New  England.  They  were  heroes 
of  the  Reformation. 

They  had  found,  however,  only  a  part  of  the  pure 
teachings  of  Jesus.  So  in  the  nineteenth  century 
there  arose  another  band  of  reformers  to  reform  the 
religion  of  the  Puritans.  One  of  these  pioneers  was  a 
gifted  preacher  named  Hosea  Ballou.  He  was  born 
in  a  little  town  in  New  Hampshire,  the  son  of  a  Baptist 
minister.  He  was  very  poor  and  had  almost  no 
schooling.  But  he  read  his  Bible  continually  and 
tried  to  find  just  what  Jesus  taught.  He  wanted  to 
be  free  from  the  creeds  which  men  had  made  in  order 
that  he  might  see  the  truth  of  God.  That  truth  he 
discovered  in  the  glorious  Gospels. 

Many  of  the  Puritans  and  early  reformers  thought 
God  was  harsh  and  stern.  "This  is  a  mistake,"  Mr. 
Ballou  told  them  in  his  eloquent  sermons.  "God  is 
loving  and  kind  like  his  son  Jesus.  He  is  our  Father. 
We  are  all  his  children  in  his  divine  family.  He  loves 
us.  Let  us  love  one  another." 

A  number  of  people  heard  Mr.  Ballou  and  rejoiced 
in  his  words.  They  started  off  through  the  villages 
and  hamlets  of  New  England  to  proclaim  their  new 
message.  They  preached  in  school  houses  and  court 
rooms.  They  travelled  as  far  west  as  Ohio.  They 
talked  to  people  in  the  stage  coaches  and  in  the  country 


274         Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

stores  —  to  everyone  who  would  listen.  They  held 
meetings  in  the  hay  fields.  And  throughout  the  coun- 
try they  established  what  are  called  Universalist 
churches. 

In  the  year  1822  Mr.  Ballou  went  to  live  and  teach 
in  Boston.  There  he  found  another  spiritual  reformer 
who  was  teaching  almost  the  same  things  he  was  pro- 
claiming. This  was  William  Ellery  Charming,  the 
leader  of  the  Unitarians. 

Dr.  Channing  was  the  beloved  minister  of  Federal 
Street  Church  in  Boston.  He  was  frail  in  body,  yet 
strong  in  spirit.  He  was  often  ill  but  always  his  mind 
was  clear  and  bright.  When  he  arose  to  preach  people 
listened  spellbound  to  his  words.  He  told  them  they 
had  in  them  a  divine  nature.  It  shines  out  in  holiness 
and  truth.  It  appears  when  we  do  our  duty.  Dr. 
Channing  said  we  must  give  education  and  freedom 
to  everyone  so  this  divine  self  may  shine  forth.  This, 
he  said,  was  the  real  teaching  of  Jesus. 

While  Dr.  Channing  was  teaching  this  inspiring 
gospel  in  his  Federal  Street  Church  a  boy  was  growing 
up  in  a  simple  home  just  a  few  blocks  away.  This 
boy  was  Ralph  Waldo  Emerson.  He  was  destined  to 
become  one  of  the  greatest  writers  and  thinkers  of 
America. 

He  came  from  a  family  of  New  England  ministers. 
One  of  his  ancestors  was  the  minister  who  founded 
Concord,  Massachusetts.  He  used  to  say  to  the 
people  of  his  parish:  "There  is  no  people  but  will 
strive  to  excel  in  something.  What  can  we  excel  in 
if  not  hi  holiness!"  Ralph  Waldo's  great-grandfather 
was  called  a  "heroic  scholar."  His  father,  before  he 
moved  to  Boston  was  minister  of  a  little  church  in 
the  rocky  hills  at  Harvard,  Massachusetts.  His 
salary  was  only  three  hundred  and  thirty-three  dollars 
a  year.  But  he  and  his  wife  faced  poverty  like  good 


Champions  of  Freedom  in  America        275 

soldiers.  "We  are  poor,"  he  writes  in  his  journal, 
"and  cold,  and  have  little  meal  and  little  wood  and 
little  meat;  but,  thank  God,  courage  enough."  Ralph 
Waldo's  mother  was  a  remarkable  woman.  A  friend 
said  of  her:  "I  do  not  remember  to  have  ever  seen 
her  impatient  or  heard  her  express  dissatisfaction  at 
any  time."  Ralph  Waldo  inherited  his  father's  and 
his  mother's  splendid  character. 

When  he  was  eight  years  old  his  father  died,  leaving 
his  mother  very  poor.  She  supported  her  family  by 
taking  boarders.  Ralph  and  his  brother  Edward  had 
but  one  overcoat  between  them  with  which  to  face 
the  bitter  cold  of  the  New  England  winters.  But 
they  considered  it  a  disgrace  to  complain  because  they 
were  cold  or  poor.  We  must  forget  our  troubles,  they 
were  told,  and  think  of  splendid  things  like  truth  and 
goodness.  It  is  ignoble  to  complain  when  we  are 
uncomfortable. 

Ralph  and  his  brilliant  brothers  worked  hard  to 
earn  enough  money  to  go  to  school.  Sometimes  they 
made  a  few  dollars  working  on  the  farms  near  Boston. 
When  they  were  old  enough  they  helped  pay  their  way 
by  teaching.  When  Ralph  was  seventeen  years  old 
and  went  to  Harvard  College  he  worked  as  a  messenger 
boy  and  earned  the  money  to  pay  for  his  room.  He 
earned  his  board  by  waiting  on  the  table  hi  the  college 
dining  hall. 

In  his  leisure  moments  he  read  books  in  the  library. 
And  he  thought  about  the  great  problems  of  religion 
and  tried  hard  to  solve  them.  But  his  teachers  did 
not  consider  him  an  exceptionally  bright  pupil.  His 
real  genius  was  to  appear  in  later  years. 

After  he  had  finished  his  studies  at  Harvard  College 
he  spent  two  years  in  the  Divinity  School  preparing 
to  be  a  minister.  In  1828,  when  he  was  twenty-five 
years  old,  he  was  asked  to  become  minister  of  the 


276         Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

Second  Unitarian  Church  in  Boston.  About  this  time 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Ellen  Tucker.  She  was  of 
buoyant  spirits,  "a  bright  revelation,"  he  said,  "of 
the  best  nature  of  woman."  He  was  very  happy  for 
a  year.  Then  his  wife  was  taken  ill,  and  soon  after 
died. 

Mr.  Emerson  was  the  minister  of  the  Second  (Uni- 
tarian) Church  in  Boston  for  three  years.  Then  he 
decided  to  give  up  the  ministry.  So  he  resigned  his 
place  in  his  church  and  went  for  a  visit  to  Europe. 
There  he  met  great  men  like  Carlyle  and  Wordsworth. 
To  talk  with  them  was  far  more  interesting  to  him 
than  to  see  the  cities  of  France  or  Italy. 

When  he  returned  to  America  he  made  his  home  in 
the  town  of  Concord,  near  Boston.  It  was,  as  he 
said  of  his  former  home  in  Roxbury, 

"Bosomed  in  yon  green  hills  alone,  — 
A  secret  nook  in  a  pleasant  land, 
Whose  groves  the  frolic  fairies  planned; 
Where  arches  green,  the  livelong  day, 
Echo  the  blackbird's  roundelay. 

A  spot  that  is  sacred  to  thought  and  God." 

There  he  could  pray  and  try  to  see  God  as  did  the 
saints  of  old. 

One  of  the  first  places  he  looked  for  God  was  in 
nature  —  in  the  fields  and  the  woods,  in  the  flowers 
and  the  birds.  God  had  made  them.  Could  they  not 
teach  him  something  about  their  Maker?  He  loved 
to  stroll  "through  the  pastures  and  along  the  river 
side"  in  early  spring,  "when  the  sea-winds  pierced  our 
solitudes."  He  was  overjoyed  to  find  a  rhodora  bloom- 
ing in  some  damp  nook  and  to  think  how  God  had 
put  it  there. 

In  the  late  summer  he  liked  to  follow  through  the 
fields  the  "burly  dozing  bumblebee,"  "sailor  of  the 


Champions  of  Freedom  in  America        277 

atmosphere,"  and  " swimmer  through  the  waves  of  air." 
He  watched  how  the  bumblebee  skipped  all  the  bitter 
and  unpleasant  things,  but  took  "  sweetness  without 
bound"  from  the  "solid  banks  of  flowers." 

"Aught  unsavory  or  unclean 
Hath  my  insect  never  seen; 
But  violets  and  bilberry  bells, 
Maple-sap  and  daffodils  " 

alone  attract  his  notice.  Then  Mr.  Emerson  ad- 
dresses this  little  "yellow-breeched  philosopher,"  bid- 
ding him  be  our  teacher  until  we,  too,  can  live 

"  Seeing  only  what  is  fair, 
Sipping  only  what  is  sweet," 

till  we,  like  the  bee,  can 

"mock  at  fate  and  care, 
Leave  the  chaff,  and  take  the  wheat." 

He  went  to  the  seashore  and  studied  the  shells,  "in 
the  sun  and  the  wind  and  the  wild  uproar."  He 
climbed  Mount  Monadnock  and  from  its  heights  gazed 
far  over  the  valleys  below.  Everywhere  he  saw  the 
glory  of  the  Creator. 

Even  in  winter  he  witnessed  the  power  of  God  when, 
"announced  by  all  the  trumpets  of  the  sky"  the  snow 
storm  comes  and  "hides  hills  and  woods,  the  river, 
and  the  heaven."  He  saw  how  marvelously  God's 
snowflakes  build  white  palaces  around  the  trees  and 
the  sheds  and  the  stone  walls.  And  high  over  the 
hills  and  fields 

"soared  the  eternal  sky, 
Full  of  light  and  of  deity." 

When  he  saw  these  sights  Mr.  Emerson  was  filled  with 
joy. 

As  he  sat  in  his  quiet,  sunbright  study  in  what  he 
called  "the  noble  leisure  of  mornings"  he  loved  to 


278         Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

read  how  God  had  trained  his  heroes  in  every  land.  He 
read  the  adventures  of  Jesus  and  Paul.  He  read  of 
the  heroes  of  Greece  and  India,  of  Persia  and  Arabia. 
He  read  about  Socrates  and  Buddha,  Zoroaster  and 
Mohammed,  much  as  we  have  done  in  this  volume. 
He  in  turn  wrote  books  to  tell  the  people  of  America 
how  great  and  glorious  these  ancient  heroes  were. 

He  was  married  again,  hi  the  early  days  at  Concord. 
His  wife,  he  says,  was  a  bright  example  of  the  pure 
life  of  Christianity.  He  had  a  little  boy  who  was  all 
joy  and  sunshine  —  a  "hyacinthine  boy"  with 

"a  joyful  eye, 

Innocence  that  matched  the  sky, 
Lovely  locks,  a  form  of  wonder, 
Laughter  rich  as  woodland  thunder." 

This  lovely  child  died  when  he  was  only  five  years  old, 
and  Mr.  Emerson  had  to  pray  very  hard  to  bear  his 
sorrow.  At  last  he  realized  that  his  child  who  had 
left  him  had  gone  to  a  home  more  glorious  than  any 
known  on  earth.  With  these  thoughts  a  great  peace 
entered  his  heart,  and  he  poured  forth  his  faith  hi  a 
wonderful  poem. 

Mr.  Emerson  wrote  many  beautiful  books.  Some- 
tunes  he  felt  the  spirit  of  God  whispering  within  his 
mind.  Whenever  this  divine  self  spoke  he  wrote  down 
its  whisperings.  Later  he  published  these  words  in 
his  poems  and  essays.  They  have  brought  gladness 
to  many  people. 

"Within  me,"  he  said,  "is  a  calm,  immortal  self 
whose  powers  I  do  not  know;  but  it  is  stronger  than 
I;  it  is  wiser  than  I;  it  never  approves  me  in  any 
wrong;  I  repair  to  it  in  my  dangers;  I  pray  to  it  in 
my  undertakings.  It  seems  to  me  the  face  which  the 
Creator  uncovers  to  his  child." 

Mr.  Emerson  was  able  to  see  so  much  of  God's 


Champions  of  Freedom  in  America        279 

truth  because  his  heart  was  pure.  This  made  his  face 
bright  with  the  inner  light. 

He  used  to  travel  over  the  country,  lecturing.  He 
would  tell  the  people  to  open  their  eyes  and  see  the 
beauty  of  the  world.  He  would  tell  them  how  God's 
beauty  was  hidden  away  in  their  own  souls;  how  this 
angel  nature  was  like  a  prisoner  within  them.  The 
prison  bars  were  fear  and  selfishness.  They  must 
break  the  bars  and  set  the  angel  free. 

One  time  he  spoke  in  the  town  of  Mattoon  in  southern 
Illinois.  As  the  people  went  away  from  the  lecture 
they  were  all  exclaiming  how  much  they  liked  it.  A 
little  girl  of  six  joined  in  their  words  of  praise.  "You 
are  too  young  to  understand  Mr.  Emerson,"  they  said 
to  her.  "Yes,"  she  answered,  "I  didn't  understand 
his  words,  but  I  could  look  at  his  face." 

II 

One  July  evening  in  1838  Mr.  Emerson  gave  a  lecture 
at  Harvard  Divinity  School  in  Cambridge.  A  young 
man  seven  years  his  junior  sat  in  the  audience.  This 
was  Theodore  Parker  whose  grandfather  had  led  the 
minute  men  of  Lexington,  Massachusetts,  in  1775. 
We  remember  how  Captain  Parker  roused  his  men  out 
of  their  beds  at  half  past  two  o'clock  in  the  morning 
and  how,  two  hours  later,  they  met  the  British  soldiers 
on  the  roadside  and  received  and  gave  the  shots  which 
started  the  war  of  the  Revolution. 

Theodore  Parker  loved  to  think  of  his  brave  grand- 
father. After  listening  to  Mr.  Emerson's  words  that 
evening  hi  July  he  resolved  to  fight  for  freedom.  But 
he  would  fight  in  a  different  way. 

Theodore  grew  up  on  a  farm  near  Lexington  in 
a  lovely  valley.  "Columbines  grew  on  the  sunny 
side  of  all  the  great  rocks,  blue  violets  and  white 
were  to  be  had  everywhere."  Little  Theodore  "went 


280         Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

stumbling  through  the  grass,  merry  as  a  May-bee." 
He  tells  us  a  story  of  these  days.  Perhaps  you  have 
heard  it. 

"When  a  little  boy  in  petticoats  in  my  fourth  year, 
one  fine  day  in  spring,  my  father  led  me  by  the  hand 
to  a  distant  part  of  the  farm,  but  soon  sent  me  home 
alone.  On  the  way  I  had  to  pass  a  little  'pond-hole' 
then  spreading  its  waters  wide;  a  rhodora  in  full  bloom 
—  a  rare  flower  in  my  neighborhood,  and  which  grew 
only  in  that  locality  —  attracted  my  attention  and 
drew  me  to  the  spot.  I  saw  a  little  spotted  tortoise 
sunning  himself  hi  the  shallow  water  at  the  root  of 
the  flaming  shrub.  I  lifted  the  stick  I  had  in  my  hand 
to  strike  the  harmless  reptile;  for,  though  I  had  never 
killed  any  creature,  yet  I  had  seen  other  boys  out  of 
sport  destroy  birds,  squirrels,  and  the  like,  and  I  felt 
a  disposition  to  follow  their  example.  But  all  at  once 
something  checked  my  little  arm,  and  a  voice  within 
me  said,  clear  and  loud,  'It  is  wrong!'  I  held  my 
uplifted  stick  in  wonder  at  the  new  emotion  —  the 
consciousness  of  an  involuntary  but  inward  check  upon 
my  actions,  till  the  tortoise  and  the  rhodora  both 
vanished  from  my  sight.  I  hastened  home  and  told 
the  tale  to  my  mother,  and  asked  what  it  was  that 
told  me  it  was  wrong?  She  wiped  a  tear  from  her  eye 
with  her  apron,  and  taking  me  in  her  arms,  said,  '  Some 
men  call  it  conscience,  but  I  prefer  to  call  it  the  voice 
of  God  in  the  soul  of  man.  If  you  listen  and  obey  it, 
then  it  will  speak  clearer  and  clearer,  and  always 
guide  you  right;  but  if  you  turn  a  deaf  ear  or  disobey, 
then  it  will  fade  out  little  by  little,  and  leave  you  all 
in  the  dark  and  without  a  guide.  Your  life  depends  on 
heeding  this  little  voice.' " 1 

As  Theodore  grew  older  he  used  to  play  among  the 

1  From    Autobiography,   Centenary    edition,    American    Unitarian 
Association,  Boston. 


Champions  of  Freedom  in  America       281 

sweet-smelling  shavings  in  his  father's  carpenter  shop. 
He  would  watch  his  mother  weaving  her  flax  and 
making  it  into  pure  white  sheets  and  towels.  She 
loved  to  tell  her  children  how  God  was  in  the  rainbow 
and  the  drops  of  rain.  She  tried  to  teach  them  just 
how  God  wished  them  to  live. 

Before  Theodore  was  eight  years  old  there  came  to 
him  a  longing  for  knowledge.  He  would  lie  on  the 
grass  and,  looking  up  at  the  white  clouds,  wonder 
where  they  came  from.  He  looked  at  the  stars  in  the 
night  and  wondered  what  they  were.  He  began  to 
read  and  read  every  book  he  could  find.  These  would 
tell  him  what  he  longed  to  know.  First  he  read 
Plutarch's  stories  of  ancient  Greece.  When  he  was 
ten  he  made  a  list  of  "all  the  vegetables,  plants,  trees, 
and  shrubs  that  grew  on  the  farm."  At  twelve  he 
began  to  study  astronomy  and  Latin.  He  wanted 
to  read  the  celebrated  Roman  books  in  the  Latin 
language  in  which  they  were  first  written. 

He  picked  huckleberries  one  day.  Then  he  carried 
his  buckets  of  berries  into  Boston  and  sold  them. 
Before  he  went  home  he  bought  a  book,  —  the  first  of 
his  very  own,  and  that  thrilled  his  heart  with  joy.  It 
was  a  Latin  dictionary.  When  he  grew  to  be  a  man 
he  bought  many  books,  until  he  had  thirteen  thousand 
on  his  library  shelves.  But  he  always  liked  this  one 
the  best,  because  it  was  his  first. 

After  this  trip  to  Boston  five  years  hurried  by  until 
Theodore  was  seventeen  years  old.  They  went  quickly 
for  him,  for  they  were  full  of  reading  and  study  and 
work  for  his  father. 

Then  one  day  he  rose  very  early  in  the  morning 
and  went  down  to  Cambridge.  When  he  returned, 
late  in  the  evening,  he  went  into  his  father's  bedroom 
just  before  his  father  went  to  sleep  and  said,  "Father, 
I  entered  Harvard  College  today." 


282         Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

"Why,  Theodore,  you  know  I  cannot  support  you 
there,"  his  father  replied.  He  was  very  poor. 

But  Theodore  explained  that  he  himself  was  going 
to  earn  all  the  money  he  needed.  When  he  had  to 
be  away  from  the  farm,  he  said,  he  would  pay  for  a 
man  to  take  his  place.  In  the  winter  he  would  teach 
school. 

So  he  left  home  and  began  teaching  in  Boston.  He 
earned  fifteen  dollars  a  month  and  his  board.  He 
sent  eleven  of  this  home  to  pay  the  wages  of  the  man 
who  should  take  his  place  on  the  farm.  This  left  him 
only  four  dollars  a  month  for  other  things.  But  that 
made  no  difference  to  him,  for  he  could  study  and 
learn  wonderful  truths. 

In  due  tune  he  entered  Harvard  Divinity  School. 
He  had  decided  to  become  a  minister.  His  room  in 
Divinity  Hall  we  can  still  see,  if  we  go  to  Cambridge. 
It  was  large  and  airy,  heated  by  an  open  fireplace. 

Here  he  studied  with  more  joy  than  ever  before.  He 
read  books  night  and  day.  He  wanted  to  know  all 
he  could  learn  about  God  and  the  people  in  his  world, 
and  what  God  had  taught  them.  God's  knowledge 
seemed  like  a  mighty  ocean.  His  was  but  a  tiny  drop. 
He  learned  twenty  languages  so  he  could  read  books 
from  many  different  races.  Then  he  would  learn 
what  the  Greeks  and  the  Arabians,  the  Persians  and 
the  Hindus  knew  about  God.  He  read  fifteen  hours 
a  day.  The  more  he  learned  the  more  he  found  there 
was  that  he  did  not  know.  He  often  read  a  page 
at  a  glance,  yet  twenty  years  later  he  could  tell  just 
what  it  contained.  He  could  commit  a  hymn  to  mem- 
ory as  the  minister  read  it  in  the  church  service. 

When  he  left  Harvard  Divinity  School  he  became 
the  minister  of  a  Unitarian  Church  at  West  Roxbury 
near  Boston.  He  was  married  and  had  a  delightful 
home  to  which  guests  loved  to  come. 


Champions  of  Freedom  in  America       283 

And  he  read  and  read,  often  a  book  or  two  a  day. 
He  also  took  long  walks  in  the  country,  sometimes 
walking  twenty  miles  hi  an  afternoon.  One  time  he 
walked  all  the  way  from  Boston  to  New  York  in  just 
a  few  days.  "Give  me  health  and  a  day,"  he  loved 
to  say,  hi  the  words  of  Mr.  Emerson,  "and  I  will  make 
the  pomp  of  emperors  ridiculous." 

He  loved  the  flowers  and  the  birds,  the  brooks  and 
the  sunshine.  He  said  they  could  sometimes  teach 
him  more  than  all  his  books.  They  all  spoke  of  God. 
"Nature,"  he  said,  "is  a  garment  which  conceals  God's 
brightness." 

Then  came  that  evening  in  July  when  he  listened 
to  Mr.  Emerson's  lecture  at  Harvard  Divinity  School. 
As  he  walked  home  from  Cambridge  to  West  Roxbury 
after  the  lecture,  Theodore  Parker  resolved  to  teach 
the  truth  about  Jesus'  Gospel  as  he  now  saw  it.  He 
would  tell  what  he  had  learned  about  Christianity  in 
his  studies  and  in  his  prayers.  He  would  set  the  people 
free  from  the  wrong  ideas  which  had  crept  into  their 
minds  and  covered  up  Jesus'  real  words. 

So  one  day  he  preached  a  sermon  in  a  church  in 
South  Boston,  and  told  what  he  had  discovered  about 
the  real  teachings  of  Jesus.  The  people  who  listened 
were  amazed.  His  words  were  so  different  from  what 
they  had  been  taught  that  they  thought  he  must  be 
wrong.  Most  of  the  other  ministers  in  Boston  were 
sure  he  was  wrong.  Some  of  them,  after  this  sermon, 
even  refused  to  speak  to  him  when  they  met  him  on 
the  street.  They  also  tried  to  expel  him  from  the 
Boston  Ministers'  Association. 

But  Theodore  Parker  was  strong  and  fearless,  like 
Luther.  He  must  teach  the  truth.  He  did  not  mind 
the  persecution. 

There  were  many  people  who,  when  they  were  told 
of  his  surprising  words  wished  to  hear  him.  They 


284        Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

wanted  to  decide  for  themselves  if  he  was  right.  So 
his  friends  rented  a  theater  in  Boston,  called  the 
"Melodeon."  Here  the  people  came  in  crowds  every 
Sunday  morning,  two  or  three  thousand  of  them. 
They  filled  the  large  auditorium  and  listened  spell- 
bound to  Parker's  words  of  truth  and  light. 

Through  the  week  he  travelled  about  the  country 
giving  lectures.  He  also  wrote  books  to  tell  those 
who  could  not  come  to  hear  him  the  truths  he  had 
learned.  These  books  were  read  in  many  parts  of 
the  United  States. 

Once  a  judge  in  a  western  city  saw  a  youth  who  did 
not  know  what  to  do  with  his  time  on  Sundays.  He 
gave  him  a  copy  of  one  of  Mr.  Parker's  books.  The 
youth  read  it  with  amazement.  He  discovered  in 
its  pages  how  beautiful  religion  is.  Years  later  the 
judge  met  him  again.  The  youth,  now  a  man,  showed 
him  that  the  cover  had  worn  off  the  book,  he  had  read 
it  so  many  times.  Now  he  had  it  bound  in  leather. 

Theodore  Parker  and  the  other  champions  of  freedom 
were  like  errant  knights  in  a  dark  forest.  This  was 
the  forest  of  religious  ignorance,  where  men  had  for- 
gotten God's  true  teaching.  All  about  in  the  forest 
there  were  prisoners  who  were  bound  by  chains  of 
fear  to  trees  called  superstitions.  Into  this  forest 
came  the  knights  of  freedom.  They  were  clad  in  the 
glistening  armor  of  honest  thought.  They  held  in 
then*  hands  spears  of  knowledge.  Their  words  of 
truth,  like  battle  axes,  struck  down  the  trees  of  super' 
stition  and  set  the  captive  free. 


A  SHINING  LIGHT  FROM  PERSIA 


CHAPTER  XXI 
A  SHINING  LIGHT  FROM  PERSIA 

WE  have  read  how  Mohammed  and  Zoroaster  and 
other  great  teachers  gave  their  wonderful  messages 
to  the  people  of  the  world  and  taught  them  how  to 
please  God.  We  have  also  read  how,  after  a  while, 
the  people  would  forget  what  their  prophet  had  said. 
Then  they  would  make  up  teachings  of  then-  own,  and, 
saying  these  were  the  prophets'  words,  they  would 
follow  their  own  way  rather  than  God's  way. 

This  is  just  what  happened  in  Persia,  that  beautiful 
country  where  Zoroaster  and  Mohammed  had  given 
their  holy  laws.  The  priests,  who  were  the  teachers 
of  the  people,  thought  less  and  less  about  following 
Mohammed's  true  teachings,  and  more  and  more  about 
gaining  wealth  and  high  positions  for  themselves.  At 
last  Persia  and  the  other  Mohammedan  countries 
had  become  so  forgetful  of  their  prophet's  words  that 
it  seemed  well-nigh  impossible  to  reform  them. 

One  day,  in  the  year  1844,  a  number  of  pilgrims 
from  all  over  the  Mohammedan  world  were  gathered 
in  Mecca  to  celebrate  their  yearly  visit  to  the  holy 
city.  A  hundred  thousand  of  these  pilgrims  were 
assembled  together  in  a  certain  part  of  the  city. 

Suddenly  a  young  man,  a  merchant,  whose  name  was 
Ali  Mohammed,  stood  up  in  their  midst  and  spoke  to 
them.  His  heart  was  pure  and  full  of  love  for  all 
mankind.  He  told  the  listening  people  that  then' 
priests,  or  mullahs  as  they  are  called  in  the  Moham- 
medan world,  were  teaching  them  things  which  were 
wrong  and  were  leading  them  away  from  God  instead 


290        Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

of  near  to  Him.  He  said  he  would  give  them  God's 
true  messages  once  more.  He  would  be  the  gate,  the 
"Bab"  they  call  it  in  Persian,  through  which  they 
might  return  to  God.  He  spoke  with  such  power  and 
authority  that  his  words  were  not  forgotten.  As  the 
pilgrims  returned  to  their  homes  they  spread  the  news 
of  his  proclamation  throughout  Persia.  And  soon 
thousands  of  people  became  his  followers. 

The  priests,  the  mullahs,  furious  at  what  he  pro- 
claimed about  them,  made  their  plans  to  prevent  the 
Bab,  as  he  was  now  called,  from  teaching.  The 
mullahs  owned  vast  wealth  in  Persia.  If  the  eyes  of 
the  people  were  opened,  if  they  realized  how  wicked 
the  mullahs  had  become,  these  mullahs  might  have  to 
lose  their  wealth. 

So,  as  soon  as  the  opportunity  came  they  arrested 
the  Bab  and  carried  him  off  to  prison.  Month  after 
month  he  was  kept  captive,  sometimes  in  one  prison, 
sometimes  in  another.  At  last,  after  six  years  of 
imprisonment,  he  was  fastened  by  ropes  to  a  wall,  and 
a  regiment  of  soldiers,  aiming  their  rifles  at  him,  shot 
him.  In  this  way,  the  Mohammedan  priests  thought, 
they  would  put  an  end  to  the  teachings  of  the  Bab. 

On  the  twenty-third  of  May  in  1844,  the  same  year 
hi  which  the  Bab  spoke  to  the  pilgrims  at  Mecca, 
there  was  born  in  a  Persian  palace  a  little  boy.  The 
name  which  was  given  to  him  then  was  Abbas  Effendi. 
When  he  grew  to  be  a  man  he  was  called  "Abdul 
Baha"  which  means  "The  Servant  of  God." 

Abdul  Baha's  father,  Baha'o'llah  (Baha'-ool'-lah), 
was  a  noble  prince.  He  was  very  wealthy  and  lived 
in  a  beautiful  palace.  He  might  have  had  a  high 
place  hi  the  Persian  government  and  so  have  spent 
his  life  in  ease  and  luxury.  But  he  did  not  care  for 
these  things.  Instead  of  spending  his  money  on  him- 
self he  gave  away  so  much  to  those  who  were  poor  or 


A  Shining  Light  from  Persia  291 

in  trouble  that  he  was  called  "the  father  of  the  poor." 
His  heart  was  pure  and  full  of  mercy.  He  spent  his 
days  and  nights  in  teaching  the  people  the  ways  of 
love  and  peace.  He  told  them  that  what  the  Bab  pro- 
claimed was  true  and  the  Mohammedan  world  must 
be  reformed. 

When  the  rulers  of  Persia  learned  that  Baha'o'llah 
was  carrying  on  the  teaching  of  the  Bab  they  took 
away  all  his  great  estates  and  threw  him  into  prison. 
He  was  put  into  a  dungeon  far  under  the  ground, 
where  no  sunlight  had  ever  entered.  A  heavy  iron 
chain  was  fastened  around  his  neck  and  with  it  he  was 
chained  to  five  other  followers  of  the  Bab.  He  was 
kept  thus  for  four  months.  The  chains  were  so  heavy 
on  his  neck  that  he  could  not  hold  up  his  head  and 
he  could  get  but  little  sleep.  But  no  word  of  com- 
plaint did  he  utter.  He  thought  of  the  glorious  pres- 
ence of  God  which  he  saw  even  there  in  the  dungeon. 
He  composed  hymns  of  praise,  rejoicing  that  he  might 
suffer  in  God's  service.  He  taught  these  hymns  to 
his  fellow  prisoners  and  they  sang  them  there  in  the 
darkness. 

In  the  meantime  Baha'o'llah's  family  was  in  dire 
trouble.  While  the  angry  priests  and  rulers  fastened 
him  in  the  dungeon  a  mob  hastened  to  his  home.  They 
drove  his  wife  and  his  five  small  children  out  of  their 
beautiful  palace  and  took  possession  of  everything. 

Baha'o'llah's  wife,  now  homeless,  found  a  small 
house  on  a  back  street  of  the  large  city  of  Teheran 
where  they  lived.  Here  she  found  shelter  for  the 
coming  four  months.  She  and  her  children  had  nothing 
left  of  their  large  fortune  but  the  clothes  which  they 
wore.  When  they  were  in  need  of  food  the  mother 
cut  the  solid  gold  buttons  off  her  children's  dresses  and 
with  them  bought  supplies. 

One  day  Abdul  Baha,  who  was  at  that  tune  eight 


292         Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

years  old,  went  out  into  the  street  in  the  hope  that 
he  might  find  his  father.  Immediately  he  was  sur- 
rounded by  a  mob  of  boys,  large  and  small.  There 
were  nearly  three  hundred  of  them.  They  were  all 
armed  with  sticks  and  stones  and  were  determined  to 
kill  this  little  child  of  Baha'o'llah.  Abdul  Baha,  the 
tiniest  boy  of  all  the  crowd,  when  he  found  himself 
thus  surrounded  stood  quiet  still,  straight  as  an  arrow. 
Quietly  he  commanded  the  mob  not  to  touch  him. 
Evidently  they  were  impressed  by  his  utter  fearlessness, 
for  lo!  not  a  stick  or  a  stone  was  thrown.  And  little 
by  little  the  boys  slipped  away,  leaving  Abdul  Baha 
standing  alone  in  the  street. 

At  the  end  of  four  months  Baha'o'llah  was  taken 
out  of  the  dungeon.  But  the  Mohammedan  priests 
would  not  let  him  stay  in  Teheran,  fearing  that  he 
might  teach  the  people  and  win  them  to  these  new 
truths  about  religion.  So  he  and  his  family  were  put 
upon  horses  and  driven  out  of  the  city.  The  plan  was 
to  send  them  away,  over  the  mountains  and  the  deserts, 
to  the  city  of  Bagdad  in  Turkey. 

It  was  in  the  winter  tune  and  the  weather  was 
bitterly  cold.  For  three  days  and  nights  the  little 
party  rode,  hurried  along  by  their  guards.  They  had 
no  food  and  were  scantily  clothed.  But  God's  Holy 
Spirit  sustained  them  and  then-  hearts  were  full  of 
joy.  "How  glorious  it  is,"  they  said  to  one  another, 
"to  suffer  in  the  pathway  of  God.  God's  good  soldier 
is  happiest  when  the  march  is  the  hardest!" 

After  a  month  of  such  travelling  they  reached 
Bagdad,  far  away  from  the  Persian  empire.  They 
found  hi  this  city  an  empty  house.  Here  they  lived 
hi  great  poverty  for  twelve  years. 

Many  of  the  people  in  Bagdad  were  very  fierce  and 
rough.  But  there  were  others  who  were  gentler  and 
more  tolerant.  When  they  discovered  what  a  wise 


A  Shining  Light  from  Persia  293 

and  loving  man  had  come  among  them  they  visited 
him  in  large  numbers. 

Baha'o'llah  told  them  that  all  the  people  in  the 
world  are  the  children  of  one  God,  and  that  all  the 
great  prophets  who  have  taught  in  different  parts  of 
the  world  have  been  messengers  of  the  one  God.  They 
have  taught  the  same  things  and  have  been  strength- 
ened to  do  their  work  by  the  same  loving  Father. 
Therefore  all  the  religions  of  the  world  contain  the 
same  truths,  and  we  must  love  them  all.  "Why," 
said  Baha'o'llah,  "the  people  of  the  world  are  like 
the  leaves  of  one  great  tree,  or  the  drops  of  one  sea. 
The  leaves  of  a  tree  do  not  quarrel  with  one  another! 
The  drops  of  a  sea  do  not  prefer  themselves  one  to 
another!  So  let  mankind  live  in  peace  and  give  up 
these  ruinous  wars." 

Baha'o'llah  himself  was  an  example  of  the  life  he 
taught.  One  day  he  was  praying  alone  in  a  tent  just 
outside  of  Bagdad.  As  he  sat  there  a  fierce  Moham- 
medan slipped  silently  into  the  tent.  This  man 
thought  Baha'o'llah  was  a  very  wicked  person  who 
led  people  astray.  Did  not  he  say  that  the  religion 
of  Mohammed  was  not  the  only  religion  which  was 
true?  So  the  Moslem  had  come  to  kill  Baha'o'llah. 

He  raised  his  javelin  and  took  aim,  preparing  to 
throw  it  at  the  unprotected  enemy.  Then  Baha'- 
o'llah, for  the  first  time  looked  at  him.  The  noble 
teacher's  face  was  pure  and  kind.  He  seemed  full 
of  love  for  his  would-be-murderer.  The  man  dropped 
his  javelin  to  the  ground. 

He  picked  it  up  and  again  took  aim.  And  again 
Baha'o'llah  looked  at  him,  his  eyes  overflowing  with 
love.  For  the  second  time  the  javelin  fell  to  the 
ground  beside  its  owner. 

The  man  picked  it  up  once  more.  With  an  intense 
effort  of  his  will  he  determined  to  delay  no  longer  in 


294         Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

disposing  of  this  harmful  person  before  him.  This 
tune  Baha'o'llah  smiled  at  him. 

Then  the  Moslem,  his  javelin  cast  away,  threw  him- 
self at  Baha'o'llah's  feet.  He  could  not  withstand 
such  wonderful  love. 

As  the  years  went  by  Baha'o'llah's  followers  in 
Bagdad  became  so  numerous  that  the  Mohammedan 
priests  grew  jealous.  The  people  loved  him  more  than 
they  did  the  priests.  The  priests  knew  that  if  this 
continued  they  would  lose  all  their  influence.  So  they 
persuaded  the  Sultan  of  Turkey  to  send  Baha'o'llah 
and  his  family  far  away  from  Bagdad  and  from  Persia 
to  a  place  where  no  one  knew  him.  So  he  was  exiled 
to  Adrianople  in  Europe.  He  surely  could  influence 
no  one  there,  the  priests  reasoned. 

From  Adrianople  Baha'o'llah  wrote  letters  to  his 
followers  in  Persia.  In  these  letters  he  told  them  how 
Persia  could  be  made  into  a  glorious  nation  once  more. 
He  told  them  how  God  wished  everyone,  girls  and  boys, 
men  and  women,  to  have  an  equal  education.  He  told 
how  they  must  love  the  people  of  all  religions  alike; 
how  Christians  and  Jews,  Mohammedans  and  Bud- 
dhists are  all  God's  children  and  God  sees  no  difference 
between  them.  The  people  by  thousands  believed 
hun  and  accepted  the  new  teaching. 

Seeing  this,  the  Mohammedan  priests  persuaded 
the  Sultan  to  exile  Baha'o'llah  and  his  family  to  the 
town  of  Acca  in  Syria.  This  town  was  a  place  where 
thieves  and  criminals  were  sent  —  and  never  heard  of 
again.  It  was  so  unhealthy  that  nobody  who  went 
there  had  been  known  to  live  more  than  a  few  months. 
"Now,"  thought  the  Mohammedan  priests,  "we  have 
disposed  of  this  troublesome  person. 

When  it  became  known  where  Baha'o'llah  was  to 
be  sent,  seventy  people  begged  permission  to  go  with 
him.  To  them  no  suffering  was  worthy  of  mention 


A  Shining  Light  from  Persia  295 

beside  that  of  being  separated  from  their  beloved 
teacher. 

When  Baha'o'llah  and  this  party  of  seventy  fol- 
lowers reached  Acca,  after  a  long  sea  voyage,  they 
indeed  found  distressing  conditions.  Baha'o'llah  was 
put  into  a  tiny  cell.  It  was  so  small  he  could  neither 
lie  down  nor  stand  up.  Here  he  was  chained  to  the 
floor.  The  others  were  crowded  together  in  a  room 
where  the  mud  was  ankle  deep  on  the  floor.  There 
were  no  chairs  or  beds  in  the  room.  Only  a  scanty 
supply  of  food  was  given  them.  But  they  were  near 
Baha'o'llah,  and  his  love  and  joy  were  so  wonderful, 
his  knowledge  of  God  was  so  glorious,  that  they  did 
not  mind  their  sufferings. 

Two  years  they  were  kept  in  this  prison.  Then 
the  heart  of  the  governor  of  Acca  was  touched,  and 
he  gave  orders  that  they  be  transferred  to  better 
quarters.  They  were  gentle  and  thoughtful  toward 
one  another;  they  were  loving  and  courteous  to  their 
jailers.  He  could  not  see  that  they  had  done  any- 
thing wrong. 

So  they  were  released  from  the  barracks,  as  the 
prison  was  called,  and  given  a  house  in  the  town. 
Here  they  lived  for  nine  years.  They  were  constantly 
watched  by  guards  and  in  all  that  time  Baha'o'llah 
never  left  the  house.  But  it  was  a  much  better  place 
than  the  barracks. 

Baha'o'llah  spent  these  days  of  prison  life  in  writing 
letters  and  books  which  were  radiant  with  the  Holy 
Spirit.  He .  sent  them  to  Persia  and  they  brought  new 
life  to  many  people. 

Oftentimes,  when  men  in  far-away  Persia  read  these 
letters  they  would  be  filled  with  a  longing  to  see  their 
author.  They  would  start  out  on  foot  and  walk  all 
the  hundreds  of  miles  to  Acca.  It  would  take  months 
to  make  the  journey.  When  they  reached  Acca  they 


296         Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

would  stand  on  a  hill  overlooking  the  city  and  watch 
and  watch  in  the  hope  that  they  might  see  their  beloved 
teacher.  Then  Baha'o'llah  and  Abdul  Baha  would  go 
to  the  tiny  window  of  Baha'o'llah's  room  and  wave 
their  handkerchiefs.  After  this  sign  of  recognition 
these  followers  of  Baha'o'llah  would  start  home  again, 
contented  and  happy. 

As  the  new  teachings  spread  throughout  Persia 
the  priests  became  more  and  more  enraged.  They 
determined  to  kill  all  the  Bahais,  as  the  followers  of 
Baha'o'llah  were  called.  So  they  started  a  great  per- 
secution and  thousands  of  Bahais  gave  their  lives  for 
their  belief  in  the  teachings  of  Baha'o'llah. 

At  last  the  persecutions  became  so  numerous  that 
Baha'o'llah  wrote  a  letter  to  the  Shah  of  Persia  plead- 
ing with  him  to  stop  this  work  of  the  Mohammedan 
priests.  But  who  would  take  the  letter!  It  would 
in  all  probability  mean  death  to  the  messenger  as  he 
would  have  to  go  into  the  very  midst  of  the  priests. 

Baha'o'llah  called  his  friends  together  and  asked 
for  a  volunteer.  To  the  surprise  of  all  a  boy  named 
Badi  stepped  forward  and  said  he  would  go.  Badi 
was  about  eighteen  years  old.  He  had  always  been 
a  rather  careless,  thoughtless  boy.  Could  he  under- 
take such  an  errand,  the  others  wondered? 

Baha'o'llah  took  him  into  his  room  and  talked  to 
him.  And  as  he  talked  the  Holy  Spirit  in  his  heart 
entered  the  heart  of  Badi  also.  Badi's  face  became 
radiant.  A  divine  courage  welled  up  in  his  mind.  He 
took  the  letter  and  started  off  on  foot. 

For  weeks  and  weeks  he  tramped  over  the  desert. 
And  weeks  and  weeks  he  spent  in  crossing  the  moun- 
tains. But  so  happy  was  he  at  the  thought  of  serving 
God  that  nothing  could  stop  him.  "'He  sped  along 
with  footsteps  of  entire  devotion."  At  last  he  reached 
the  capital  of  the  Shah. 


A  Shining  Light  from  Persia  297 

He  put  on  a  white  robe  and  took  his  stand  on  a  rock 
outside  the  palace  gate.  For  three  days  he  stood  on 
the  rock  and  waved  his  letter  over  his  head.  And 
the  bright  sunlight  shone  on  his  white  suit  and  cap. 

Now  it  so  happened  that  on  the  third  day  the  Shah 
went  to  his  palace  window  and  with  his  telescope 
scanned  the  surrounding  country.  He  saw  this  white 
figure  by  the  palace  gate  and  sent  a  servant  to  know 
what  was  wanted.  Thus  Badi  was  brought  to  the 
presence  of  the  Shah,  and  delivered  into  his  hand  the 
precious  letter. 

The  Shah,  when  he  learned  from  whom  the  letter 
had  come,  threw  it  upon  the  ground  and  gave  orders 
that  Badi  be  put  to  death.  "The  idea,"  he  thought, 
"of  that  prisoner  daring  to  argue  with  me,  the  king!" 

For  three  days  Badi,  like  little  Blandina,  endured 
much  suffering  at  the  hands  of  his  captors.  But  the 
more  they  hurt  him  the  more  radiant  his  face  became 
and  the  more  joyous  was  his  heart.  On  the  third  day 
God  freed  him  from  the  hands  of  the  cruel  priests  and 
his  spirit  flew  to  join  his  most  glorious  Lord. 

After  a  number  of  years  the  jailers  in  Acca  ceased 
to  watch  the  Bahais  so  closely  and  they  were  allowed 
to  live  in  a  house  outside  the  city  walls.  These  fierce 
Turkish  guards  had  learned  to  love  and  reverence 
Baha'o'llah  and  Abdul  Baha  and  their  little  party. 

When  the  news  spread  abroad  that  Baha'o'llah  was 
living  in  comparative  freedom,  people  from  all  over 
the  world  came  to  see  him.  He  must  be  a  remarkable 
man,  they  reasoned,  who  can  spread  his  teachings 
throughout  Persia  when  he  himself  is  a  prisoner  behind 
the  walls  of  far-away  Acca! 

One  of  these  visitors  was  a  merchant  who  lived  in 
Egypt.  He  had  read  some  of  Baha'o'llah's  inspiring 
letters  and  wished  to  see  him.  "How  glorious  it 
would  be,"  thought  he,  "to  stand  in  the  presence  of 


298        Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

so  holy  a  man."  So  he  wrote  a  letter  asking  Baha'- 
o'llah  if  he  might  come  to  Acca. 

"When  you  owe  no  man  anything,"  wrote  the  great 
teacher  in  reply,  "you  may  come." 

The  merchant  was  amazed  at  these  words.  He  was 
quite  wealthy  and  had  an  important  business.  But 
he  owed  large  sums  of  money  to  persons  in  different 
parts  of  the  world.  If  he  paid  these  debts  he  would 
not  be  nearly  so  rich. 

Now,  however,  he  learned  that  he  could  not  enter 
the  presence  of  BahaVllah,  he  could  not  hear  him 
speak  about  God,  unless  these  debts  were  paid.  He 
wanted  to  see  Baha'o'llah  more  than  he  wanted  any- 
thing on  earth.  So  he  began  to  send  his  creditors 
the  sums  of  money  which  he  owed  them.  It  took  him 
five  years  to  pay  off  all  his  debts.  When  the  last  was 
canceled  the  merchant  had  left  just  enough  money  to 
buy  his  ticket  on  the  steamer  to  Acca.  He  could  not 
pay  for  a  berth  on  the  ship.  He  must  sleep  on  the 
deck. 

As  the  ship  glided  away  from  the  dock  he  stood 
leaning  over  the  deck's  railing  thinking  happily  of  the 
joy  which  was  in  store  for  him.  All  at  once  his  shawl, 
his  only  protection  from  the  cold  night  winds,  slipped 
from  his  hands  and  fell  into  the  water.  But  he  cared 
not,  for  he  was  actually  on  his  way  to  see  Baha'o'llah! 

When  the  day  came  for  the  ship  to  arrive  at  the 
dock  in  the  seaport  town  of  Haifa,  Syria,  Baha'o'llah, 
nine  miles  away  in  Acca,  told  a  certain  man  of  his 
household  to  make  ready  his  horse  and  carriage.  "I 
have  a  very  noble  guest  coming  today  and  I  wish  you 
to  go  and  meet  him,"  said  Baha'o'llah. 

The  man  drove  to  Haifa,  found  the  ship  at  the  dock, 
and  stood  all  attention,  watching  for  the  foreign  visitor. 
Baha'o'llah  had  said  he  was  "very  noble";  so  the  man 
looked  for  someone  who  would  be  grandly  dressed 


A  Shining  Light  from  Persia  299 

and  who  walked  with  a  lordly  air.  Perhaps  he  would 
have  medals  strung  all  over  his  chest!  Then  the 
messenger  would  surely  know  him. 

But  no  such  person  arrived.  The  messenger  stayed 
till  everyone  had  left  the  ship.  The  last  person  to 
walk  up  the  dock  was  a  shabby  little  man  who  had 
no  baggage  and  who  seemed  to  have  not  a  single 
friend.  This  was  our  merchant. 

So  the  messenger  drove  back  to  Acca  and  told 
Baha'o'llah  that  his  visitor  did  not  come. 

"Ah,"  said  Baha'o'llah,  "your  eyes  are  blind.  You 
could  not  recognize  my  guest.  I  will  send  Abdul 
Baha.  He  makes  no  such  mistakes." 

Abdul  Baha  reached  Haifa  late  in  the  afternoon. 
There  was  no  one  at  the  docks.  He  looked  around, 
and  at  last  discovered  a  forlorn  little  man  sitting  all 
alone  on  a  bench. 

When  no  one  had  met  him  at  the  ship,  our  merchant 
from  Egypt  decided  in  his  disappointment  that  Baha'- 
o'llah had  forgotten  him.  Then  he  began  to  wonder 
if  he  had  been  foolish  to  give  up  all  his  wealth  just 
to  see  this  Baha'o'llah.  Perhaps  he  was  not  such  a 
wonderful  person  after  all. 

Abdul  Baha  hastened  to  his  side,  told  him  who  he 
was,  and  joyfully  welcomed  him.  Then  he  proposed 
that  they  drive  to  Acca. 

"No,"  said  the  merchant,  remembering  the  thoughts 
which  had  been  in  his  mind  when  Abdul  Baha  found 
him.  He  could  not  go  into  the  presence  of  Baha'- 
o'llah until  he  had  prayed  to  God  to  forgive  him  for 
his  lack  of  faith. 

The  merchant  had  not  a  single  penny,  and  he  would 
not  let  Abdul  Baha,  who  had  almost  as  little,  pay  for 
his  lodgings  at  the  hotel  in  Haifa.  So  Abdul  Baha 
sat  down  beside  him  on  the  bench.  He  wrapped  his 
cloak  about  his  new-found  friend  and  put  his  arm 


300         Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

around  him.  And  the  two  sat  and  prayed  together 
all  through  the  night. 

In  the  morning  they  went  to  Acca.  With  a  puri- 
fied heart  the  merchant  could  enter  the  presence  of 
Baha'o'llah  and  talk  with  him  about  God.  And  he 
could  see  the  light  of  God  which  shone  in  the  face  of 
the  holy  teacher. 

In  1892  the  pure  spirit  of  Baha'o'llah  ascended  into 
the  glory  of  the  heavenly  world.  For  fifty  years  he 
had  "  faced  his  enemies  like  a  mountain."  For  fifty 
years  he  had  endured  their  persecutions  with  indom- 
itable courage  and  unfailing  love.  And  every  year 
the  light  of  his  teachings  shone  brighter  and  brighter 
into  the  hearts  of  the  people  of  Asia. 

After  his  death  his  followers  turned  to  Abdul  Baha. 
In  his  perfected  character  they  found  the  same  ma- 
jestic light  of  love  and  wisdom  which  had  shone  from 
the  spirit  of  Baha'o'llah. 

The  people  of  Acca  called  Abdul  Baha  "the  friend 
of  the  poor,"  and  it  was  to  him  that  the  poor  came 
with  their  troubles.  Every  Friday  morning  a  crowd 
of  men  and  women,  bent  and  old,  in  "patched  and 
tattered  garments,"  appeared  at  his  door.  Some 
carried  children  in  their  arms;  some  walked  on 
crutches.  They  were  of  many  races.  Soon  the  door 
would  open  and  Abdul  Baha  with  his  vigorous  step 
and  kingly  bearing  would  walk  out  into  their  midst. 
"Welcome,  welcome,"  he  would  say,  with  a  radiant 
smile.  Then  to  each  person  he  would  give  some  food, 
or  money,  or  a  garment,  according  to  their  need.  And 
with  each  gift  there  went  a  word  of  love  and  encourage- 
ment as  he  put  his  gentle  hand  on  the  shoulder  of  a 
bent  old  negro,  perhaps,  or  caressed  a  sick  child.  After 
a  short  while  they  would  all  go  away  thinking  in  their 
hearts  what  a  kind  man  is  the  Servant  of  God,  the 
Friend  of  the  Poor! 


A  Shining  Light  from  Persia  301 

We  wonder  how  it  was  that  Abdul  Baha  who  him- 
self was  so  poor  could  give  to  those  who  were  still 
poorer?  It  was  by  going  without  things  himself.  He 
gave  his  bed  to  someone  who  was  ill  and  slept  on  the 
stone  floor  of  his  room.  When  a  well-to-do  friend 
discovered  this  and  sent  him  a  bed  and  mattress  he 
soon  gave  that  away  also.  "How  could  I  sleep  in 
luxury,"  he  said,  "when  so  many  have  nothing?" 
He  went  without  his  meals  in  order  to  have  food  for 
the  hungry.  Often  he  would  say  to  his  family:  "You 
have  had  two  meals  today  and  there  are  many  who 
have  had  none.  Shall  we  not  give  away  our  evening 
meal  to  those  whose  need  is  greater  than  ours?"  So 
with  joyful  hearts  they  would  make  the  sacrifice. 

Abdul  Baha  loves  his  enemies  just  as  much  as  he 
loves  his  friends.  There  was  a  man  living  in  Acca  who 
hated  him  and  wished  to  harm  him.  He  thought 
Abdul  Baha's  teaching  about  all  the  religions  being 
true  was  wrong.  He  was  very  poor  and  could  not 
buy  the  food  which  he  needed.  Abdul  Baha  knew  this 
and  every  day  sent  him  a  basket  of  food.  When  he 
was  ill  Abdul  Baha  sent  him  a  physician.  The  man 
took  the  food  and  the  physician's  help,  but  still  he 
hated  Abdul  Baha  and  tried  to  injure  him;  and  when 
he  met  Abdul  Baha  on  the  street  he  held  his  cloak  up 
in  front  of  his  face  so  he  could  not  see  him. 

Day  after  day,  for  twenty-four  years,  Abdul  Baha 
sent  his  food  and  his  love  to  this  man.  And  day  after 
day  the  man  hated  and  reviled  him.  But  at  last  he 
could  hold  out  no  longer.  He  came  to  Abdul  Baha, 
threw  himself  at  his  feet,  and  cried:  "Forgive  me, 
sir!  For  twenty-four  years  I  have  done  evil  to  you. 
For  twenty-four  years  you  have  done  good  to  me.  Now 
I  know  I  have  been  in  the  wrong." 

Even  animals  feel  love  like  this.  Abdul  Baha  was 
walking  one  day  on  the  plains  just  outside  the  city 


302         Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

walls.  High  up  in  the  sky  a  hawk  was  chasing  a  little 
bird.  The  poor  little  bird  flew  hither  and  thither 
seeking  to  escape,  but  there  was  no  hiding  place  on 
that  barren  prairie.  All  at  once  it  saw  Abdul  Baha. 
With  lightning  speed  down  it  flew,  straight  into  a  fold 
of  his  coat.  There  it  stayed,  happy  and  safe  from  its 
enemy. 

As  the  years  went  by  the  news  of  the  love  and 
wisdom  of  Abdul  Baha  reached  many  countries. 
Visitors  from  all  over  western  Asia  came  to  Acca  to 
see  him.  Mohammedans  from  Persia,  travelling  on 
foot,  braved  the  hot  sun  of  the  Arabian  desert  to  reach 
Acca.  Buddhists  from  far-away  Burmah  and  Zoroas- 
trians  from  Bombay,  India;  Jews  from  Russia  and 
Christians  from  Europe  and  America  met  together 
in  the  prison  city,  drawn  by  their  common  longing 
to  see  this  servant  of  God.  And  all  these  men,  of 
different  religions  and  races,  sat  down  together  in 
Abdul  Baha's  house  and  ate  at  his  table  as  though 
they  were  brothers.  Abdul  Baha  served  the  meals 
himself.  He,  the  host,  was  the  servant  of  all.  As  he 
passed  the  food  he  would  tell  them  how  glorious  it  is 
for  the  people  of  all  nations  to  live  together  in  love. 
The  time  has  come,  he  would  say,  to  put  into  practice 
Christ's  Sermon  on  the  Mount. 

For  a  few  years  the  rulers  of  Acca  allowed  him  to 
see  these  visitors.  But  at  last  so  many  hundreds  came 
that  they  grew  suspicious.  "  Could  it  be  that  all 
these  people  came  so  far  just  to  hear  Abdul  Baha  tell 
of  the  love  of  God?  No,  men  do  not  love  God  so  much 
as  that,"  they  reasoned  hi  their  wicked  hearts.  They 
decided  that  Abdul  Baha  must  be  starting  a  political 
rebellion.  And  they  shut  him  again  close  within  the 
prison. 

The  Italian  consul  was  much  distressed  at  this  new 
persecution.  He  planned  to  rescue  Abdul  Baha  from 


A  Shining  Light  from  Persia  303 

the  cruel  Turks.  So  he  sent  an  Italian  steamer  to 
carry  him  to  Europe.  For  three  days  the  steamer 
waited  off  the  harbor  of  Haifa,  while  the  friends  of 
Abdul  Baha  plead  with  him  to  escape. 

"No,"  said  Abdul  Baha,  "the  Bab  did  not  run  away. 
BahaVllah  did  not  run  away.  I  shall  not  run  away." 
So  the  ship  was  obliged  to  leave  without  him. 

In  1908  there  was  a  revolution  in  Turkey,  and 
Abdul  Baha  was  set  free.  He  went  into  exile  and 
prison  a  little  boy  of  nine.  He  came  out  an  old  man 
of  sixty-four.  His  hair  was  white,  his  face  furrowed 
with  the  lines  of  many  sorrows.  But  his  step  was 
full  of  vigor  and  his  heart  radiant  with  love. 

In  1911  and  1912  he  made  a  visit  to  Europe  and 
America.  Wherever  he  went  he  was  invited  to  speak 
before  large  audiences.  Universities,  churches  of  many 
denominations,  Jewish  synagogues,  societies  whose 
members  are  striving  to  reform  the  world,  all  opened 
their  doors  to  him.  He  also  received  many  visitors, 
often  a  hundred  and  fifty  a  day.  He  rose  at  four 
o'clock  in  the  morning  and  many  times  went  without 
his  meals  in  order  to  see  them  all.  From  sunrise 
until  midnight  he  received  his  guests.  One  day,  in 
London,  he  saw  eighteen  callers  before  his  breakfast 
at  half  past  seven.  He  talked  with  learned  men  about 
science,  with  statesmen  about  politics,  with  little 
children  about  their  games.  He  loved  everyone, 
tramps  and  thieves,  rich  and  poor,  high  and  low.  He 
welcomed  all  with  radiant  kindness. 

"Why  do  all  the  guests  who  visit  you  come  away 
with  shining  faces?"  someone  asked  him. 

"I  cannot  tell  you,"  he  replied,  "but  in  all  those 
upon  whom  I  look  I  see  only  the  Face  of  our  Heavenly 
Father." 


A  SAINT  AND  A  POET  FROM  INDIA 


CHAPTER  XXII 
A  SAINT  AND  A  POET  FROM  INDIA 

IN  the  same  year  that  Baha'o'llah  was  born  in 
Persia  there  was  born  in  a  mansion  in  Calcutta,  India, 
a  little  Hindu  boy.  This  was  Devindranath  Tagore. 
His  father,  a  prince  of  India,  was  immensely  wealthy. 
So  rich  was  he  that  even  his  slippers  were  covered 
with  precious  stones.  Thus  Devindranath,  like  Baha'- 
o'llah, grew  up  in  a  palace,  surrounded  by  every  luxury. 

When  he  was  eighteen  years  old  his  grandmother 
died.  As  he  sat  thinking  of  her,  and  how  her  pure 
soul  would  enter  the  wonderful  spiritual  world,  sud- 
denly he  felt  God's  presence  very  near  to  him.  It 
enveloped  him  like  celestial  moonlight.  He  lay  awake 
all  night,  he  was  so  happy.  All  at  once  his  liking 
for  wealth  and  fine  clothes  left  him.  He  realized 
that  the  only  thing  worth  living  for  was  to  please 
God  and  to  become  conscious  of  His  presence. 

He  decided  that  the  best  way  to  serve  God  would 
be  to  try  to  reform  the  religion  of  India.  Like  the 
people  in  other  parts  of  the  world  the  Hindus  had 
ceased  to  follow  their  great  teachers.  The  words  of 
these  teachers  had  been  written  down  in  sacred  books 
called  the  Upanishads  and  the  Vedas.  But  the  people 
forgot  to  read  them.  Like  jewels  hidden  in  the  ground 
they  were  covered  over,  as  the  years  went  by,  with 
many  false  beliefs. 

A  brilliant  Hindu  scholar  named  Raja  Rammohan 
Roy  had  tried  to  recover  these  precious  jewels.  He 


312         Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

wished  to  persuade  the  people  of  India  to  follow  their 
light  once  more.  He  had  read  the  Koran  of  Moham- 
med, the  Bible  of  the  Christians,  the  poets  and  teachers 
of  Persia,  and  the  Gospel  of  Buddha.  He  learned 
from  them  all.  In  them  all  he  read  that  there  is  only 
one  God  and  the  worship  of  idols  must  be  abolished. 
He  started  a  new  church  hi  Calcutta  called  the  Brahma 
Somaj.  Here  all  the  Bibles  of  the  world  might  be 
studied,  as  he  had  studied  them. 

Devindranath  Tagore's  father  went  to  this  Brahma 
Somaj  church,  and  now  Devindranath  joined  it.  With 
great  zeal  he  began  to  read  the  old  Hindu  scriptures 
and  to  translate  them  for  his  countrymen. 

He  had  worked  at  this  joyous  task  for  eight  years 
when  there  came  to  him  a  duty  of  another  sort.  His 
father,  the  prince,  died,  leaving  large  debts  to  be  paid. 
Devindranath  gave  to  the  creditors  all  his  father's 
business  and  estates.  When  this  was  not  sufficient 
to  pay  the  debts  he  gave  up  the  estates  which  his  father 
had  given  to  him  for  his  own.  He  and  his  family 
were  left  in  absolute  poverty.  He  did  not  keep  back 
a  single  penny.  Yet  he  considered  it  one  of  the  greatest 
joys  and  blessings  of  his  life  thus  to  give  away  all  his 
property,  if  need  be,  to  do  what  was  right,  "I  have 
taken  another  step  forward  in  the  search  for  God,"  he 
said.  "I  had  read  in  the  Upanishads  about  the 
peace  and  happiness  of  him  who  desires  nothing,  and 
now  I  tasted  it  in  real  life." 

His  father's  creditors  held  a  meeting  and  refused 
to  take  the  generous  son's  property.  They  returned 
his  estates  to  him  and  bade  him  earn  with  them  suf- 
ficient money  to  pay  what  was  owed. 

So  Devindranath,  who  much  preferred  the  quiet 
of  his  study,  entered  the  business  world.  He  managed 
his  property  with  such  skill  and  energy  that  at  the 
end  of  ten  years  he  paid  back  every  cent  which  his 


A  Saint  and  a  Poet  from  India          313 

father  owed.  He  also  paid  all  the  gifts  which  his  father 
had  promised  to  various  societies  to  help  the  poor. 

When  the  debts  were  all  paid  he  left  Calcutta  to 
take  a  rest  in  the  Himalaya  Mountains.  This  place 
had  been  made  holy  by  the  prayers  of  many  Hindu 
saints  who  had  been  there  before  him.  In  the  clear 
and  silent  mountain  ah*  under  the  glistening  snow 
peaks  he  could  pray,  and  he  believed  he  could  see 
God.  Higher  and  higher  he  climbed,  up  into  the 
beautiful  mountains.  The  higher  he  climbed  the 
more  pure  did  his  mind  become.  At  last  in  great  joy 
he  did  see  God.  With  "  inner  vision,"  there  in  the 
"  Himalaya  hills,  the  holy  land  of  God,"  he  saw  the 
glorious  presence  about  him.  He  saw  God's  spirit 
within  him,  and  he  was  wondrously  happy.  He  saw 
God's  truth  and  it  made  him  free.  And  he  thought, 
"I  will  stay  here  and  enjoy  it  for  years." 

Suddenly,  one  day,  as  he  stood  by  a  rushing  moun- 
tain torrent,  a  voice  spoke  within  him.  It  bade  him 
go  down  from  the  mountains  and  "make  known  to 
the  world  the  truth  he  had  gained."  He  looked  at 
the  crystal  stream  at  his  feet.  It  did  not  stay  in  the 
high  mountains  where  all  was  pure  and  clean.  It 
flowed  down  to  water  the  plains  far  below.  Even  if 
it  was  stained  with  the  soil  of  the  plains  and  the  dirt 
of  the  cities  it  must  flow  and  serve.  He,  too,  must 
go  down  with  the  water  of  life  which  God  had  poured 
into  his  mind.  He  must  serve  his  countrymen.  "It 
was  God's  command  that  I  go  back  home,"  he  said. 
' '  Could  man's  will  hold  out  against  that?  "  So  he  made 
ready  to  return. 

Soon  he  started  on  a  journey  through  northeastern 
India  to  teach  the  pure  religion  he  had  discovered.  A 
young  man  named  Chesub  Chunder  Sen  joined  him. 
Chesub  Chunder  Sen  loved  to  praise  the  Christ.  He 
told  the  Hindus  of  the  life  of  Jesus.  He  called  Jesus 


314         Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

the  glory  of  Asia.  He  said  the  Christ  was  an  Asiatic. 
Christ  showed  the  grandeur  of  which  the  Asiatics 
were  capable.  Chesub  Chunder  Sen,  like  the  Unita- 
rians, and  the  Bahais  of  the  West,  read  and  loved  the 
bibles  of  China  and  of  the  Moslems,  of  the  Jews  and 
of  the  Christians.  All  holy  books,  he  said,  are  inspired 
by  the  one  God. 

Chesub  Chunder  Sen  and  Devindranath  Tagore 
became  the  chief  leaders  of  these  new  churches  in 
India  called  the  Brahma  Somaj.  Devindranath 
Tagore's  life  was  so  pure  and  he  served  the  Hindu 
people  so  heroically  that  he  was  called  "Maharshi," 
which  means  a  great  saint. 

Maharshi  Tagore  owned  the  mansion  in  Calcutta 
which  had  been  his  father's.  There,  in  the  year  1861, 
his  little  son,  Rabindranath  (Rah-bin'-dra-nath),  was 
born.  This  son  was  to  carry  on  his  teaching. 

Rabi,  as  he  was  called  until  he  grew  up,  was  a  beauti- 
ful child,  but  rather  delicate.  His  mother  died  when 
he  was  very  young  and  he  was  cared  for  by  servants. 
His  distinguished  father  was  often  away  from  home 
and  the  servants  did  what  they  pleased  with  the  little 
boy.  When  they  did  not  want  to  be  bothered  with 
him  they  would  mark  a  chalk  circle  in  a  room  beside 
a  window  and  forbid  Rabi  to  step  outside  its  lines. 
There  the  little  boy  would  sit,  hour  after  hour,  watch- 
ing what  happened  in  the  garden  below  his  window. 
Beneath  a  great  banyan  tree  in  the  garden  there  was 
a  sort  of  a  swimming  pool.  About  it  were  cocoanut 
palms.  Here  the  neighbors'  boys  would  often  come 
and  bathe. 

"I  was  very  lonely,"  Mr.  Tagore  says  of  these  days. 
"My  father  I  saw  very  seldom;  he  was  away  a  great 
deal,  but  his  presence  pervaded  the  whole  house  and 
was  one  of  the  deepest  influences  on  my  life.  Kept 
in  charge  of  the  servants  after  my  mother  died,  I 


A  Saint  and  a  Poet  from  India          315 

used  to  sit,  day  after  day,  in  front  of  the  window  and 
picture  to  myself  what  was  going  on  hi  the  outer 
world.  From  the  very  first  time  I  can  remember  I 
was  passionately  fond  of  Nature.  Ah,  it  used  to 
make  me  mad  with  joy  when  I  saw  the  clouds  come 
up  in  the  sky  one  by  one.  I  felt,  even  in  those  very 
childish  days,  that  I  was  surrounded  with  a  friend,  a 
companionship,  very  intense  and  very  ultimate,  though 
I  did  not  know  how  to  name  it.  I  had  such  an  ex- 
ceeding love  for  Nature,  I  cannot  tell  how  to  describe 
it  to  you;  but  Nature  was  a  kind  of  loving  companion 
always  with  me,  and  always  revealing  to  me  some 
fresh  beauty. 

"In  the  morning  of  autumn  I  would  run  into  the 
garden  the  moment  I  got  up  from  sleep.  A  scent 
of  leaves  and  grass,  wet  with  dew,  seemed  to  embrace 
me,  and  the  dawn,  all  tender  and  fresh  with  the  new- 
awakened  rays  of  the  sun,  held  out  its  face  to  me  to 
greet  me  beneath  the  trembling  vesture  of  palm  leaves. 
Nature  shut  her  hands  and  laughingly  asked  every 
day,  'What  have  I  got  inside?'  and  nothing  seemed 
impossible."  * 

Again,  in  a  letter  he  writes:  "I  but  faintly  remember 
the  days  of  my  early  childhood.  But  I  do  remember 
that  in  the  mornings,  every  now  and  then,  a  kind 
of  unspeakable  joy,  without  any  cause,  used  to  over- 
flow my  heart.  The  whole  world  seemed  to  me  full 
of  mysteries.  Every  day  I  used  to  dig  the  earth 
with  a  little  bamboo  stick  thinking  I  might  discover 
one  of  them.  All  the  beauty,  sweetness,  and  scent  of 
this  world,  all  the  movements  of  the  people,  the  noises 
in  the  street,  the  cry  of  the  kites,  the  cocoanut  trees 
hi  the  family  garden,  the  banyan  tree  by  the  pond, 
the  shadow  on  the  water,  the  morning  perfume  of 

1  From  Rabindranath  Tagore,  by  Ernest  Rhys.  The  Macmillan 
Company,  copyright,  1915.  Used  by  permission. 


316         Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

the  blossoms/'1  all  these  made  him  feel  a  presence 
which  he  later  knew  was  God. 

From  his  earliest  boyhood  he  loved  poetry.  The 
rhymes  in  his  primer  set  his  heart  dancing.  He  liked 
to  read  over  and  over  such  words  even  as  "the  rain 
patters,  the  leaf  quivers,"  or  "the  rain  falls  pit-a-pat, 
the  tide  comes  up  the  river." 

One  day  when  he  was  about  six  years  old  he  was 
found  at  his  mother's  door  reading  a  poem,  one  of 
the  great  classics  of  India.  It  was  a  thrilling  story 
called  the  Ramayana  (Ra-ma-ya'-na).  He  had  found 
a  dog-eared  copy  in  the  servants'  quarters.  He  was 
so  overcome  by  its  wondrous  story  that  he  sat  and 
wept  as  he  read.  His  aunt  thought  he  was  too  young 
to  read  such  books  and  she  took  it  away.  But  ever 
after  that  if  some  one  would  read  to  him  the  poems  of 
the  Ramayana  he  was  made  happy. 

When  he  was  eight  years  old  he  wrote  poetry  for 
himself.  One  of  the  officers  of  his  father's  estates  gave 
him  a  blue  blank  book.  He  ruled  it  and  began  to 
compose  verses.  His  elder  brother  thought  they  were 
fine.  So  he  led  little  Rabi  all  about  the  house,  from 
person  to  person,  and  had  him  read  his  poems  from 
his  blank  book. 

Soon  Rabi  began  to  sing  also.  There  was  a  dear 
old  man  who  lived  in  the  house.  He  was  bald  and 
had  not  a  tooth  in  his  head.  But  his  heart  was  very 
kind.  He  never  spoke  evil  of  anyone.  He  never 
criticized  anyone.  His  smile  was  bright  with  happi- 
ness and  he  used  to  sing  songs  to  make  other  people 
happy. 

He  discovered  that  Rabi  had   a  beautiful  voice. 

And,  indeed,  he  "sang  like  a  bird."     So  he  took  the 

little  boy  by  the  hand  and  they  went  about  singing 

to  the  members  of  the  household.    The  dear  old  man 

1  Quoted  from  article  in  the  New  York  Times. 


A  Saint  and  a  Poet  from  India          317 

would  play  on  his  sitar  while  Rabi  sang.     Then  he 
would  join  in  the  chorus. 

Soon  Rabi  composed  songs  of  his  own  and  sang 
them  to  the  joy  of  his  friends.  By  the  time  he  was 
eighteen  years  old  his  poems  were  well  known  all 
through  the  big  city  of  Calcutta.  When  he  was 
twenty  he  was  the  editor  of  a  magazine  and  had  written 
a  novel.  Soon  his  poems  and  stories  were  known 
throughout  a  large  part  of  India;  and  before  many 
years  had  passed  thousands  of  people  sang  his  songs. 
Peasants  sang  them  when  they  rose  in  the  early  morn- 
ing to  greet  the  sunrise.  Shepherds,  as  they  rested 
under  the  trees  in  the  hot  hours  of  the  Indian  noontide, 
recited  his  verses. 

One  day,  when  he  was  a  young  man,  Rabindranath 
had  a  beautiful  vision,  in  which  the  world  became 
glorious.  After  this  experience  he  prayed  more  and 
more.  He  tried  to  make  his  heart  pure  and  good. 
He  prayed  for  the  help  to  write  beautiful  songs.  He 
prayed  to  God;  "Oh,  Master  Poet,  I  have  sat  down 
at  Thy  feet.  Only  let  me  make  my  life  simple  and 
straight,  like  a  flute,  for  Thee  to  fill  with  music."  And 
as  he  prayed  God's  music  came  singing  into  his  heart, 
and  he  wrote  poems  of  exquisite  beauty. 

When  he  was  twenty-three  years  old  his  father  sent 
him  to  take  care  of  his  estates  at  Shilaida,  near  the 
Ganges  river.  There  the  poet  lived  for  a  long  time 
in  a  house  boat.  He  was  very  kind  to  the  peas- 
ants on  the  estate.  He  went  about  and  visited  the 
sick  and  prescribed  medicines  for  them.  He  for- 
bade the  overseers  to  oppress  the  people.  The  peas- 
ants were  very  poor  and  had  a  hard  time  paying 
their  rents.  In  fact  they  had  not  paid  any  rents  for 
so  long  that  they  owed  a  hundred  thousand  rupees. 
Mr.  Tagore  told  them  he  would  give  them  this  rent. 
They  need  not  pay  it  at  all. 


318         Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

He  tried  in  every  way  to  help  the  poor  people  of 
India.  But  their  sufferings  were  so  great  that  he 
could  do  little.  So  he  decided  to  train  up  others  to 
help  him  in  this  service.  And  he  founded  a  school 
which  has  become  one  of  the  best  in  all  India. 

This  school  is  a  hundred  miles  north  of  Calcutta 
in  a  lovely  plain.  Maharshi  Tagore,  the  poet's  father, 
was  one  day  looking  for  a  quiet  spot  where  he  might 
pray  and  think  of  God.  In  his  search  he  chanced 
upon  this  spot  which  was  then  very  lonely.  He  sat 
down  under  a  tree  and  commenced  his  meditation. 

Now  it  happened  that  a  robber  chief,  searching  for 
a  place  where  he  might  hide,  had  also  found  this  spot 
and  here  established  himself. 

As  the  Maharshi  sat  under  the  tree  the  robber 
slipped  out  from  his  lair  and  crept  toward  him.  He 
saw  bright  jewels  on  the  Maharshi's  clothes.  He 
planned  to  steal  them.  But  when  he  was  quite  near 
the  Maharshi  spoke  to  him.  The  saint's  face  was  so 
kind  and  pure  that  the  robber  listened.  Little  by 
little  the  words  he  heard  entered  into  his  heart.  He 
decided  to  give  up  his  robber's  life  and  become  an 
honest  man.  Maharshi  Tagore  took  him  home  with 
him  and  the  robber  became  a  servant  in  his  household. 
There  he  served  faithfully  for  the  rest  of  his  life. 

In  this  place  where  the  robber  chief  had  lived  Ma- 
harshi Tagore  built  a  chapel.  He  planted  trees  and 
flowers  and  made  a  beautiful  garden  about  the  house. 
Here  anyone  who  wished  might  come  and  in  the  silence 
worship  God. 

When,  in  1902,  his  son,  the  poet,  wanted  to  start 
his  new  school  Maharshi  Tagore  gave  him  this  place 
with  its  chapel. 

From  all  over  India  boys  now  come  to  Mr.  Tagore's 
school  and  learn  to  live  as  "brothers  with  one 
mind."  And  here  Mr.  Tagore  lives  in  their  midst 


A  Saint  and  a  Poet  from  India          319 

a  quiet  and  a  simple  life,  teaching  the  boys  and 
writing  prayers  and  songs  of  praise  to  God,  the 
Master  Singer. 

Each  morning,  at  this  school,  the  boys  are  roused 
from  sleep,  not  by  an  alarm  clock  or  a  bell,  but  by  a 
song  sung  by  a  chorus  of  their  companions  who  go 
about  under  the  windows.  The  boys  thus  wakened 
jump  out  of  bed  and  bathe  and  dress.  Then  what  do 
you  think  they  do  next?  Each  boy  takes  a  mat  and, 
going  out  into  the  garden,  sits  down  on  the  ground 
under  a  tree  and  spends  fifteen  minutes  in  meditation 
and  prayer.  They  must  start  the  day  thinking  of 
God.  At  the  end  of  the  fifteen  minutes  they  all 
gather  together  and  repeat  the  following  prayer  which 
is  taken  from  the  ancient  Hindu  scriptures: 

"O  God,  Thou  art  our  Father.  Make  us  conscious 
that  Thou  art  our  Father.  We  bow  to  Thee.  Make 
our  obeisance  real.  Do  not  let  us  stray  from  Thy 
presence.  O  Lord!  O  Father!  Forgive  us  all  our 
sins  and  give  unto  us  only  what  is  good!  We  bow  to 
Thee  who  givest  us  happiness  and  good.  We  bow 
to  Thee  in  whom  all  happiness  and  good  rest.  We 
bow  again  and  again  to  Thee  who  art  good  and  greater 
than  all  good." 

After  this  morning  prayer  they  have  then*  break- 
fast. Then  school  begins.  The  schoolroom  is  the 
beautiful  woodland  surrounding  the  house  where  the 
boys  live.  The  pupils  sit  on  mats  under  the  trees  in 
little  circles  around  their  teacher,  fifteen  boys  and  a 
teacher.  They  study  and  recite  for  three  hours. 
Then  come  lunch  and  rest  and  play.  Then  two  or 
three  hours  more  of  study  in  the  afternoon. 

After  that  most  of  the  boys  go  to  their  games  of 
football  and  cricket.  But  some,  whose  hearts  are 
full  of  love,  will  tramp  or  run  to  a  nearby  village. 
Here  they  teach  the  very  poor  children  who  cannot 


320         Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

go  to  school  how  to  read  and  write.  Their  poet- 
teacher  has  told  them  that  God  loves  "the  poorest, 
the  lowliest,  and  the  lost,"  and  they  must  love  them 
too.  Sometimes  they  help  these  children  when  the 
roof  of  a  hut  needs  repairing  or  some  carpenter  work 
must  be  done. 

Then,  tired  perhaps,  but  with  hearts  happy  with 
the  joy  of  having  served,  the  boys  return  to  school. 

Before  supper  there  is  another  time  of  prayer,  out 
under  the  trees.  After  supper  some  listen  to  the 
reading  of  stories,  a  tale  of  ancient  India,  or  perhaps 
a  novel  written  by  Dickens  or  Scott  in  far-away  Eng- 
land. Others  prepare  plays.  Still  others  write  arti- 
cles for  then*  school  magazines,  of  which  they  have 
five. 

Twice  a  week,  in  the  evening,  Mr.  Tagore  gives  the 
boys  a  short  talk  about  God  and  His  glory.  Some  of 
the  boys  wrote  out  a  number  of  these  talks  and  had 
them  bound  into  a  book.  Then  they  brought  the 
book  to  Mr.  Tagore.  How  pleased  he  was  to  find 
that  his  boys  had  listened  and  remembered  so  well! 
One  of  the  talks  in  this  volume  was  published  in  the 
Atlantic  Monthly,  a  magazine  in  America. 

A  little  boy  of  eight  came  to  Mr.  Tagore  one  day 
and  asked  to  be  told  how  to  make  poetry.  He  wanted 
to  write  like  his  teacher.  The  kindly  poet  thought 
this  was  too  difficult  for  a  boy  of  eight.  But  the  little 
boy  persevered  and  before  he  was  ten  he  wrote  poems 
for  the  school  magazine. 

Rabindranath  Tagore  reads  many  books  from  many 
countries.  He  believes  the  people  of  India  can  learn 
from  all.  He  sent  his  son  to  attend  the  University 
of  Illinois  in  America.  Here  they  knew  things  about 
agriculture  which  the  people  of  India  had  not  yet 
learned.  This  son,  after  studying  in  America  for 
four  years,  went  home  to  India  to  teach  the  Hindus 


A  Saint  and  a  Poet  from  India          321 

to  be  more  scientific  farmers.  Mr.  Tagore  also 
advises  other  young  men  to  study  in  America  in  order 
that  they  may  teach  their  countrymen  the  splendid 
methods  of  the  West. 

In  1912  Mr.  Tagore,  with  his  son,  visited  Europe 
and  America.  He  was  welcomed  by  many  literary 
people.  He  spoke  in  universities  and  in  Unitarian 
churches.  In  1914  he  was  given  the  Nobel  Prize 
because  his  poems  are  so  beautiful  and  inspiring.  His 
books  are  read  by  many  people  in  Europe  and  America. 
And  his  readers  rejoice  that  God  has  poured  the 
"holy  stream"  of  His  music  through  the  life  and  pen 
of  this  melodious  singer  of  India. 


SOLDIERS  OF  THE  PRINCE  OF  PEACE 


CHAPTER  XXIII 
SOLDIERS  OF  THE  PRINCE  OF  PEACE 

IN  ancient  days  throngs  of  men  and  women  used 
to  gather  in  the  Coliseum  at  Rome  to  watch  gladiators 
fight  with  wild  animals.  Whenever  a  man  won  in 
the  battle  the  vast  audience  would  rise  to  its  feet  and 
shout  applause. 

But  we  do  not  call  the  gladiators  heroes,  no  matter 
how  fearlessly  they  may  have  struck  down  their 
antagonists.  This  is  because  they  did  nothing  with 
all  their  courage  which  was  of  any  value  to  mankind. 
God  does  not  wish  anyone  to  risk  his  life  just  to  amuse 
an  audience. 

There  have  been  many  wars  when  men,  to  please 
some  rulers  and  politicans,  have  killed  each  other  while 
a  nation  shouted  applause. 

As  Christ's  teachings  spread  throughout  the  world 
people  realized  how  cruel  and  wicked  were  these 
battles  in  the  arena.  And  they  gave  them  up. 

Soon  they  will  also  realize  that  wars,  where  thou- 
sands of  men  are  killed  and  Christ's  teaching  of  love 
is  forgotten,  are  equally  savage  and  cruel.  And  they 
will  not  waste  their  lives  to  please  ambitious  rulers, 
but  will  save  them  to  serve  God. 

We  believe  that  a  wonderful  age  is  coming.  Zoro- 
aster and  Buddha,  Jesus  and  the  Hebrew  prophets 
all  told  of  it.  When  it  arrives  men  shall  come  together 
from  the  east  and  the  west,  from  the  north  and  the 
south,  and  shall  greet  each  other  as  brothers. 

Isaiah,  a  hero  of  ancient  Israel,  describes  it.  In 
those  days,  he  says,  men  shall  beat  their  swords  into 


Soldiers  of  the  Prince  of  Peace  329 

plowshares,  and  their  spears  into  pruning-hooks. 
Nation  shall  not  lift  up  sword  against  nation,  neither 
shall  they  learn  war  any  more;  for  the  glory  of  the 
Lord  shall  be  revealed,  and  all  peoples  shall  see  it 
together.  The  wilderness  and  the  solitary  place  shall 
be  glad;  and  the  desert  shall  rejoice  and  blossom  as 
the  rose.  The  lion  shall  eat  straw  like  the  ox.  The 
wolf  shall  dwell  with  the  lamb,  and  the  leopard  shall 
lie  down  with  the  kid;  and  a  little  child  shall  lead 
them.  And  the  earth  shall  be  full  of  the  knowledge 
of  God  as  the  waters  cover  the  sea.1 

This  means  that  people  who  are  fierce  and  warlike 
as  wolves  and  lions  shall  become  peace-loving;  that 
gentle  peoples  and  savage  races  shall  all  become 
friends.  And  they  will  listen  to  the  teaching  of  God's 
heroes  even  though  they  be  little  children.  Then  men 
shall  know  God  and  be  filled  with  his  Holy  Spirit  even 
as  the  waters  cover  the  sea. 

This  age  is  coming  to  our  world.  It  is  as  sure  to 
appear  as  the  spring  is  to  follow  the  winter.  We  must 
help  to  bring  it  in.  God's  hosts  of  light,  his  heroes, 
are  lined  up  in  battle  array  on  the  heights  of  the 
heavenly  world.  In  then*  midst  is  the  Prince  of  Peace. 
They  are  watching  for  us  to  enlist  in  God's  new  army. 
The  armies  of  the  nations  have  brought  death,  for 
they  have  fought  with  swords  of  steel.  God's  army 
will  bring  life,  for  then*  weapons  are  His  truth  and  His 
love.  The  old  armies  taught  men  to  hate.  The  new 
soldiers  will  teach  them  to  love.  The  old  army  set 
race  against  race.  The  soldiers  of  the  Prince  of  Peace 
will  teach  men  that  all  peoples  are  like  the  leaves  on 
an  autumn  tree.  Some  are  brown,  some  red,  some 
black,  and  some  white.  But  they  are  all  the  leaves  of 
one  tree,  the  family  of  the  one  God. 

1  Arranged  from  Isaiah,  2:4;  40:5;  35: 1;  11:6,  7,  9. 


330         Heroic  Lives  in  Universal  Religion 

The  Prince  of  Peace  is  calling  for  volunteers.  Let 
us  take  up  these  swords  of  light  and  join  his  army. 
God  himself  will  fight  with  us.  He  will  pour  the  fire 
of  his  courage  and  love  into  our  hearts,  and  with 
his  help  we  will  vanquish  the  hatred  and  ignorance 
of  the  world.  God  will  help  us  to  build  up  his  kingdom 
of  universal  religion  and  universal  peace.  And  his 
kingdom  for  countless  ages  will  grow  and  grow  in 
glory. 


•X 


JIS^ISN JJEGIONW.  LIBRARY  FACILITY 


